Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 23rd: The first batch of undergraduates graduates, approaching vocational undergraduate education
Xinhua News Agency reporters Xu Zhuang and Chen Xiyuan
The same diplomas, bachelor's uniforms, and the same picking ceremony as ordinary undergraduate graduates... This June, 903 graduates of Nanjing University of Technology's 2022 class of "promoting college" received their bachelor's degree certificates, becoming my country's vocational education of the first undergraduate graduates.
Since 2019, the Ministry of Education has approved 22 schools to carry out pilot programs of vocational education at the undergraduate level.
It is understood that pilot schools such as Shanghai Zhongqiao Vocational and Technical University and Xi'an Automobile Vocational University have recently welcomed their first undergraduate graduates.
What does this mean for vocational education?
Xinhua News Agency reporters interviewed relevant departments and experts.
Make up for the key link of the modern vocational education system that is vertically connected
"After years of exploration, innovation and breakthrough development in vocational undergraduate education in my country, the first graduates will be born in 2022, which is an important milestone in the development of vocational education in my country." The head of the Department of Vocational Education and Adult Education of the Ministry of Education pointed out that vocational education Undergraduate education is the inevitable result of the interaction between the external and internal needs of education, and it complements the key link of my country's vertically connected modern vocational education system.
In June 2014, the State Council issued the "Decision on Accelerating the Development of Modern Vocational Education", which first mentioned "exploring and developing undergraduate-level vocational education"; in January 2019, the "National Vocational Education Reform Implementation Plan" proposed to carry out undergraduate-level vocational education pilot projects.
This year's first undergraduate graduates can be described as "blooming and fruiting" of the pilot.
"Vocational undergraduate students have graduated and explored the path of cultivating high-level technical and skilled talents through the long-term system, marking the establishment of a vertical school vocational education system of 'secondary vocational - higher vocational college - higher vocational undergraduate' in my country." Ministry of Education Vocational Education Zeng Tianshan, deputy director and researcher of the Development Center, said that vocational undergraduate education can help optimize the structure of higher education and promote employment and entrepreneurship.
The person in charge of the Department of Vocational Education and Adult Education of the Ministry of Education explained that vocational undergraduate education should reach the undergraduate level in terms of knowledge level, and the level of technical skills should be higher than that of higher vocational colleges.
In terms of professional setting, we will keep an eye on the market demand and closely connect with the industrial chain and innovation chain; in terms of teaching arrangements, we will focus on cultivating students' professional technical ability, practical operation ability and innovation and entrepreneurship ability.
"Vocational undergraduate education is mainly aimed at high-end industries and high-end industries, and cultivates high-end technical and skilled talents who have the potential to become 'skilled craftsmen' and 'big country craftsmen'." said the person in charge of the Department of Vocational Education and Adult Education of the Ministry of Education.
Responding to the needs of the people for high-quality employment and education
Why should our country develop vocational undergraduate education?
The key is social needs.
He Zhen, Dean of the National Vocational Education Research Institute of Beijing Normal University, believes that the emergence of vocational undergraduate education meets the needs of economic and social development for high-level technical and skilled talents, and responds to the people's needs for high-quality employment and education.
"As technical skills play a more and more important role in supporting complex work and innovation, vocational undergraduate education can become an important way to cultivate high-skilled talents."
In 2022, 32 vocational undergraduate schools across the country will set up 608 four-year majors on record.
These majors mainly cultivate high-level technical and skilled talents who can solve complex problems, master complex operations, and really need long-term training; they are mainly for related positions in the transformation of scientific and technological achievements and experimental results, the processing of mid-to-high-end products, and the provision of mid-to-high-end services.
According to the current job market demand, the interviewed experts generally predict that the future vocational undergraduate graduates will have strong employment competitiveness.
The recognition of vocational undergraduates by students and parents is also improving. In 2021, the national vocational undergraduate education will enroll 41,400 students, and the number of students has reached 129,300.
"From the perspective of the employment quality of graduates, it has fully demonstrated that graduates of vocational education can be recognized by the society and welcomed by industry enterprises, and it has also fully demonstrated the good development prospects and vigorous vitality of vocational undergraduate education in my country." Ministry of Education Vocational Analysis by the head of the Department of Education and Adult Education.
Orderly and rationally expand the scale of vocational undergraduate education
"Include graduates of higher vocational schools in the city into the scope of civil servant recruitment..." At the beginning of June, the "Implementation Plan for Promoting the High-quality Development of Vocational Education" issued by Beijing made many people's eyes shine.
In fact, the new Vocational Education Law, which came into effect on May 1 this year, has made it clear that "vocational school students enjoy equal opportunities with ordinary school students at the same level in terms of further education, employment, and career development."
Vocational undergraduate graduates, like ordinary undergraduate graduates, can apply for postgraduate studies, civil servants and public institutions as required.
The characteristics of vocational undergraduate education of "reducing talents without sticking to one pattern" are also reflected in the enrollment.
At present, qualified senior high school graduates or equivalent personnel, secondary vocational graduates and ordinary high school graduates can pass the general college entrance examination, and higher vocational college graduates can enter vocational undergraduate schools through the "specialized promotion" and other examinations.
Relevant parties also encourage qualified social personnel to apply for the exam.
According to the "Opinions on Promoting the High-Quality Development of Modern Vocational Education" issued by the Central Office and the State Office in 2021, by 2025, the enrollment scale of vocational undergraduate education will not be lower than 10% of the enrollment scale of higher vocational education.
The head of the Department of Vocational Education and Adult Education of the Ministry of Education looks forward to the next step, which will be an orderly and reasonable expansion of the scale of vocational undergraduate education.
"According to the new Vocational Education Law and other relevant legal and policy documents, focus on key areas, key industries, and key regions, support the establishment of a number of new vocational undergraduate schools based on high-quality vocational colleges; 3. Cultivate higher-quality college-level higher vocational schools, upgrade some key specialty specialties, and launch vocational undergraduate education on a trial basis; encourage and support ordinary undergraduate schools to apply for the establishment of vocational undergraduate education majors.”