Vocation, Technology & Education

Motivations, implementation pathways, and experience insights into India's vocational education reform: An analysis of India's "National Education Policy 2020"

Shangqun Li, Runzi Zhou — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0800

As the primary platform for developing a technical and skilled workforce, vocational education plays a vital role in supporting India's economic transformation and industrial restructuring. The "National Education Policy 2020" issued by India's Ministry of Education aims to align with global trends in vocational education, facilitate economic recovery, and transform the vocational education ecosystem. Specific measures include implementing the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) to improve the quality of the vocational education supply. The policy introduces several key initiatives: the implementation of the NSQF to enhance educational quality and diversify educational pathways to improve accessibility; establishment of collaborative mechanisms between internal and external stakeholders to drive systemic reform; strengthening of vocational training to significantly expand the skilled workforce; and promotion the implementation process of higher vocational education and enhance the social status of vocational education. India's experience in promoting vocational education reform is mainly reflected in the following aspects: strengthening top-level policy design and playing a leading role in policy, improving the introduction system and building a high-quality teaching staff, focusing on the demand for talent and realizing customized supply-demand docking.

Transforming vocational higher education on the path toward Golden Indonesia 2045

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0800

Vocational education, especially at the higher education level, is highly valued these days since it is regarded as a means by which to reduce unemployment and increase national production—outcomes that both contribute to national wealth. Given Indonesia's demographic surplus, all stakeholders in the education system—particularly the government and institutions offering vocational higher education—should ensure the accessibility of vocational higher education and the quality of vocational curricula. Achieving this goal is expected to be a major turning point in Indonesia's development as a country. With consideration for these issues, this study examined Indonesia's options for transforming its vocational higher education sector on the basis of the literature and a case study. The findings indicate that the government must act immediately to persuade all relevant stakeholders, especially the business community, to collaborate with the vocational education sector and focus more intensively on elevating the quality of standards and curricula, bridging the skills gap, and promoting the growth and incubation of vocational programs in the industrial ecosystem. In addition, products and innovations can be incubated, tested, and accelerated for release into the market and society by using living laboratories as platforms and hubs for vocational and professional stakeholders. Based on Indonesia's success story, this study has practical implications for developing nations with little assistance and support from the private sector by serving as an alternative model for the development of vocational higher education.

Reimagining vocational education in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region through the lens of Singapore's success

Tsz Sum Chan — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0800

Vocational education, a key component of social and economic development, is not only related to the career development of individuals but also plays a pivotal role in optimizing the economic structure of society as a whole. Its importance is increasingly prominent with the progress of science and technology and changes in market demand, especially in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong SAR). This paper discusses the important role of Hong Kong SAR's vocational education system in social and economic development. First, it reviews the historical development of Hong Kong SAR's vocational education system and related policies and expounds on the role of vocational education in promoting the economy and enhancing graduate employability. It then describes the characteristics of vocational education, such as strong adaptability and close connection with industry, shows how the system is consistent with industry, and provides an effective way for academic and professional development. Although Hong Kong SAR's vocational education system is gradually developing, it still faces challenges. To better reflect the current challenges, this article compares vocational education in Hong Kong SAR with Singapore, showing that the current system in Hong Kong SAR requires social prejudice to be addressed. Society still regards vocational education as an alternative to higher education and as the first choice for students with poor grades. To improve the current situation, there is an urgent need for a more flexible and relevant teaching framework to train talents to adapt to changing market needs and to strive to change the social perception of this group.

Enhancing vocational students' identities through program-occupation-skill alignment and learning experiences: A mediation analysis based on learning experiences

Xing Wang, Zhongli Zhou, Can Wu — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0800

Modern vocational education, as a primary institutional vehicle for building a skill-oriented society, faces widespread identity crises. Against this background, how to enhance vocational education students' professional identities and help them successfully transition between school and professional systems has become a focal point of concern. This study conducted a questionnaire survey across 15 vocational institutions in China. Based on 886 valid questionnaires, the influence and mechanism of vocational program-occupation-skill alignment on vocational education students' professional identities under the dual system curriculum framework were examined. The findings revealed the following. First, under the dual-system curriculum framework, the degree of vocational program-occupation-skill alignment significantly influenced vocational education students' professional identities, with higher alignment correlating to higher levels of professional identity. Second, vocational program-occupation-skill alignment affected professional identity through the mediating role of learning experience, whereby high alignment enhanced professional identity by promoting students' learning experiences. To enhance the endogenous momentum of vocational education development, efforts should focus on skill formation as the core lever and on supply-demand matching as the main objective, thereby achieving the effective integration of various components in the dual-system training model and improving vocational education students' learning experiences through capacity building and teaching enhancement.

Exploring the path for vocational teacher training in China's high-quality development era: Based on Germany's practice

Xiaohan Zhang, Peng Chen, Yawen Chen, Thomas Köhler — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0800

Nowadays, vocational education in China is in a high-quality development phase, where the teaching staff is a core element in supporting the construction of a high-quality vocational education system. This period of high-quality development has led to higher requirements for the development of vocational education teachers. However, analysis using methods such as literature review and historical research reveals that there are still issues in the professional development of China's vocational education teaching staff, including outdated professional standards, insufficient training systems, and inadequate evaluation and incentive mechanisms. Over the last 100 years, Germany's vocational teacher training system has undergone a remarkable evolution from a less organized, rather brief program to a highly professionalized system that is still evolving in terms of teaching skills and linkage to the labor market. This paper analyzes the effective practices in German vocational education teacher training from the areas of vocational access standards, training systems, evaluation and incentive mechanisms, and digital literacy standards. Furthermore, suggestions are provided for cultivating a high-quality and professional vocational education teacher workforce in China, including developing laws and regulations, entry and qualification systems, integrated training systems, and digital transformation.

Exploring a new model of undergraduate vocational education

Futao Huang — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0800

In modern society, the demand for high-level technical and skilled talents is increasing, necessitating that university students not only acquire theoretical knowledge but also develop practical operational abilities and professional literacy. However, traditional educational models often fail to cultivate these competencies effectively. This study explored a new undergraduate vocational and technical education model designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The proposed model emphasizes industry-academia collaboration, interdisciplinary integration, competence-based education, and certification alignment to enhance students' employability and adaptability. Through a comparative analysis of global best practices, including examples from Germany, Japan, and China, the study identified key strategies for developing a comprehensive vocational education framework. The findings highlight the importance of practical training, flexible curriculum structures, and robust evaluation systems in fostering high-quality skilled professionals who meet the evolving demands of the modern workforce.

Exploration of mixed-ownership vocational colleges in China: Models and influencing factors

Qing Wu, Xinglin Jin, Qi Gu — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0800

The mixed-ownership vocational college (MOVC) is an original form of vocational education institution initiated in China. The current study collected 11 administrative documents and nine interview transcripts from seven MOVCs. Using thematic analysis and grounded theory, three MOVC models were developed: the tripartite co-funded model, the secondary institute model, and the joint training base model. Five influencing factors were identified: legal and institutional factors, production and income, management factors, personnel factors, and students and learning. The findings were discussed in relation to stakeholders and Chinese culture. It is recommended that due consideration be given to the interests of the diverse stakeholders within a MOVC and that the relationships between educational departments, socio-cultural contexts, political traditions, and socio-economic sectors be effectively coordinated during the process of educational reform.

Pathways and outcomes of digital transformation in Chinese vocational colleges

Xinyan Ma, Meirong Chen, Junfeng Diao — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0800

With the advent of the digital era, Chinese vocational colleges are undergoing significant digital transformation aimed at reshaping technical and skilled talent training models. This paper employs a case analysis method to investigate the pathways and outcomes of digital transformation in these institutions. From four perspectives—policy support, infrastructure development, digital teaching resource creation and application, and the enhancement of teachers' and students' digital competencies—this study examines the practical experiences and achievements of vocational colleges in their digital transformation, complemented by real-world cases. The findings reveal that national policies provide solid strategic guidance and essential resource allocation for digital transformation efforts. Infrastructure upgrades substantially improve the digital learning environment, thereby advancing educational modernization. Furthermore, innovative digital teaching resource applications promote learning flexibility and interactivity. Finally, systematic training and practice have markedly elevated the digital skills of teachers and students, optimizing teaching quality and learning outcomes. By analyzing typical cases, this paper summarizes best practices for digital transformation in vocational education and offers recommendations for future progress.