China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily reporter Wei Qimeng
In September, He Zimo is about to go to the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in the United Kingdom to study for an undergraduate degree. This thoughtful boy graduated from Zhejiang Textile and Apparel Vocational and Technical College. He is an out-and-out fashionista and super in the eyes of teachers and students. Straight A student.
Since entering the school in 2017, he has participated in Ningbo International Fashion Festival for 3 consecutive years, from dressing assistant to backstage head.
Through this platform, he got to know many well-known fashion celebrities in the circle, broadened his horizons, and improved his fashion acumen. Under the guidance of teachers from Zhejiang Textile and Clothing Institute, he won national competition awards and won Zhejiang Province for two consecutive years. Provincial government scholarship, is an outstanding graduate of Zhejiang Province.
Wang Guohaiwen and photo
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In 2020, college graduates will once again usher in a large-scale expansion of enrollment, with a planned expansion of 322,000 people, mainly to increase the number of vocational undergraduates and applied undergraduates, and to favor preventive medicine, emergency management, elderly service management, e-commerce and other majors.
According to the information obtained by the reporter, specific to all provinces and cities, Zhejiang Province announced the enrollment plan for ordinary colleges and universities to enroll 28,000 students, nearly double the number in 2019; Hunan Province clearly pointed out that the proportion of admissions for college upgrades in 2020 will more than double; Shanghai The enrollment plan has increased from 8% to 10% of the city’s total college graduates; Chongqing plans to expand enrollment by 200%; Tianjin enrolls by nearly 60%, and so on.
"From a junior college graduate to a staff member of the highest institution in China, how did he do it?" "Get through the'last mile' and achieve new highs for college promotion"... These are the WeChat public accounts of several higher vocational colleges The title of the article is pushed to encourage more specialists to climb up.
In fact, for many college students, the college entrance examination is the "second college entrance examination" and an important way to improve themselves.
However, some heads of higher vocational colleges think from the perspective of the orientation of running a school. They believe that higher vocational colleges should not publicize the case of undergraduate promotion, otherwise it may lead to deviations in the overall education model of the school, and worry that higher vocational education will shift from employment-oriented to academic qualifications. guide.
Is this worry unnecessary?
How do the parties view it?
The reporter interviewed relevant scholars and experts.
What's the reason for the high vocational students keen to upgrade
“The trend of higher vocational graduates eager to upgrade to undergraduates is becoming more and more obvious.” Wang Daoli, director of the Department of Education and Engineering of Zhejiang Finance Vocational College, noted that since 2016 and 2017, the number of students enthusiastic about 3+2 undergraduate examinations has increased. The trend has become more obvious in the past two years.
The data shows that from 2016 to 2019, the number of undergraduates in the school increased from 215 to 917, the number of applicants and the proportion of fresh graduates increased from 7.58% to 27.23%, and the proportion of registered students fluctuated from 74.42% to 83.64%.
Among the more than 1,000 candidates who applied for this year, more than 900 were admitted.
In Wuhan Vocational and Technical College, there is also an increase in the proportion of undergraduate students.
Zhang Yichan, director of the Admissions and Employment Office of the college, told reporters that the school enrolls more than 7,000 new students every year, and more than 50% of those who pass the general college entrance examination have passed the second line.
These students generally have two situations: one is that their family conditions are relatively difficult, and they hope to find a better job as soon as possible after graduation, so as to reduce the financial burden of the family; the other is that students who have not reached the score of the second public school, hope to pass the junior college in 3 years Take the exam to study in a better public university.
This year, 35% of the school’s graduates applied for the college entrance examination, of which 82.55% were successfully admitted.
Zhang Yichan said that the increase in the proportion of undergraduate students is related to the student's academic planning, the national enrollment expansion plan, and is also related to the fact that some students admitted by enterprises cannot work normally under the influence of the epidemic and choose to upgrade.
Among the 1657 students admitted this year, more than 80% of them have entered public undergraduate schools.
"This situation reflects the school's emphasis on the quality of talent training to a certain extent."
"There are many reasons for the rapid increase in the number of junior college students." Wang Dongli said that the school found through a highly targeted survey that the most direct reason is that parents and students have this "natural" demand.
"Most of the students admitted to our school have scores around the undergraduate level, which are those who are not reconciled if they don't take an undergraduate exam.'Reading an undergraduate' is the heart knot of these students."
Secondly, for future employment considerations, "the starting requirements of the recruitment brochures that can be seen must have a bachelor's degree or above."
In addition, most of the parents of this generation of students are born in the 70s and 80s. Their family economic conditions are generally better and their mentality is relatively relaxed. They are not in a hurry to get their children employed immediately, and they can study for two more years, which is affordable at home.
In terms of the difficulty of the examination, the college entrance examination is relatively simple for the students of the school.
Zhejiang Province 3+2 admission test only needs major subjects, liberal arts candidates only need to test Chinese and English, and science candidates only need to test math and English. "For students admitted to Zhejiang Finance Vocational College, the exam is not difficult. They With a solid foundation and good style of study, you can usually pass the exam with a little preparation."
Wang Dongli believes that in recent years, disorderly competition among training institutions for undergraduate education is also an important factor.
"There are more than 20 training institutions around the college, and they have been spreading publicity from the day when freshmen register. For students who already have an undergraduate mindset, they have no resistance to such publicity and guidance every day. You read it, I also want to read".
Does the student get promoted? Varies from person to person
Wang Dongli believes that the school used to "do not object" to students' desire to upgrade to undergraduate level, but now the number of applicants accounts for almost 30% of fresh graduates, and we must attach great importance to it.
"Currently, higher vocational colleges are positioned to cultivate high-quality applied-skilled talents for the frontline of the grassroots level. The main body is still at the junior college level. Higher vocational colleges cannot become a transfer station for academic education. They still have to work hard on their core competitiveness. The integration of teaching, school-enterprise cooperation, the integration of work and learning, and the integration of knowledge and action must highlight unique advantages and not lead students to test-oriented education."
In Wang Dongli's view, higher vocational colleges have developed to a new stage, and in particular, "double colleges and universities" need to use a variety of methods to help students develop academic and career plans that meet their actual needs, and carry out classified and layered training.
"Some students have entered colleges and universities, and through reasonable guidance, they have found their own goals and directions. Of course, it is a good thing for some people to choose to continue their studies. For example, a graduate of our school received a PhD from Peking University this year, and he was in high school. I found my interest during my tenure."
There are also students who are not suitable for undergraduate education but have to pursue academic qualifications, but "waste" higher vocational education.
"Some of our students majoring in finance were admitted to an undergraduate school majoring in tourism management. After graduation, they were embarrassed. Finally, they used her higher vocational diploma to find a job in the financial system," said Wang Dongli.
Zhang Yichan told reporters that whether a student chooses employment or advancement is usually reflected in the last semester.
If you choose to work, you will go to a school-enterprise cooperation company for an internship or do a good job in school graduation design.
If you choose to enter a higher education, you will review it according to the requirements of the school you are applying for.
The school has built a variety of learning and training platforms for students who choose to upgrade to undergraduate education, and provides free pre-test counseling. "For example, the School of Foreign Languages and Trade will send experienced English teachers to provide English tutoring for students, and each college will select excellent professional teachers for students. Professional counseling, patiently answering questions and solving doubts, and efficiently helping the college upgrade."
For students who apply for a college entrance but have not been successfully admitted, will preparing for the exam delay employment?
Zhang Yichan believes that the impact will not be great.
According to her analysis, in the enrollment consultation process, there are indeed many freshmen who ask whether they can get an undergraduate education after three years. However, after two or three years of skill training in the school, about 70% of students still hope to get directly employed.
Moreover, the school's training program will not be set up according to the original college promotion, but will attach great importance to basic courses and run the school with high-skills training as the orientation.
College upgrade, personal likes, school direction is not recommended
"Students' college promotion is worthy of praise; but college promotion should not be fully developed, but should be divided into professional fields." said Shao Ying, Dean of the School of Electronic Technology and Engineering, Shanghai Vocational College of Electronics and Information Technology.
In Shao Ying's view, it is very meaningful for talents in smart manufacturing, smart city and other related majors to go to undergraduate or even postgraduate studies.
"Because, technical and skilled talents in these fields need a solid foundation and stamina for development. In particular, the curtain of the era of artificial intelligence has been opened. Smart products and intelligent control have fully entered the city management. The international smart city industry in Shanghai has a demand for compound talents. Urgent and higher standards, so the talent cultivation model must also follow the development requirements of the times."
Shao Ying analyzed that in terms of the employment situation in her professional field, many companies with good salary and large development space have high requirements for the first degree of talent, and the degree represents the stamina of students to a certain extent.
"College graduates are limited by their academic qualifications and don't even have a stepping stone." In addition, from the perspective of technological development, the training time of about two and a half years in higher vocational colleges is not enough for students to complete their studies systematically and steadily.
She introduced that the school will guide personal development according to the needs of students.
For example, do a good job in enrollment education for freshmen, usually use hierarchical teaching in the classroom, and assign more difficult project assignments to students who have the ability to learn.
Give students plenty of "second classroom" space. Students who have studied in a certain area can participate in skill competitions and professional competitions, and students receive awards every year.
For students who need to upgrade to undergraduate level, professional tutors are arranged to take turns on duty every week. Students can find teachers of relevant subjects to answer questions after class.
Wang Dongli analyzed from the perspective of the school that the media and schools should not publicize the case of undergraduate promotion. The school should guide students to make rational choices through academic planning and career planning courses.
"The state has provided some students with a channel for undergraduate promotion, but this cannot be regarded as a school-running orientation. If excessive publicity leads to a'progressive education' orientation in higher vocational colleges, the students are all focused on entering higher education, which is at odds with the basic positioning of vocational education."
Xiong Bingqi, deputy dean of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, told the China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily that many higher vocational colleges now regard organizing students’ undergraduate upgrades as an important guide for running schools.
Although it is an individual right for students to upgrade to college, they also belong to their academic and career development plans, but higher vocational colleges should be employment-oriented, pay attention to creating professional characteristics, and pay attention to students' employment competitiveness.
If teaching is organized with academic qualifications as the orientation, it will lead to the tendency of examination-oriented education in schools, and it will also make it impossible for students who do not need to upgrade to a bachelor to get a complete vocational education.
In Xiong Bingqi's view, there is an atmosphere that advocates academic qualifications and discriminates against skills. To run a good education requires a social atmosphere that advocates skills and ignoring academic qualifications.
"Vocational colleges should form this kind of atmosphere, with initiative and urgency. If the vocational colleges themselves look down on vocational colleges and they all create academic worship, how can this social atmosphere be changed?"
Regarding the future changes in the vocational education training system, Feng Xinguang, the dean of Rizhao Vocational and Technical College, suggested that vocational education should be opened up as soon as possible.
He believes that with the transformation and upgrading of industries, the conversion of new and old kinetic energy, and the rapid advancement of science and technology, the current vocational education at the professional and junior level has not adapted to the needs of technological progress and industrial development. Vocational education at the undergraduate level or higher should be implemented through construction A modern vocational education system with vertical integration of vocational education and horizontal integration of vocational education will consolidate the foundation of vocational education, enhance the attractiveness of vocational education, better serve the economy and society, and better promote everyone to become talented and outstanding.
China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily reporter Wei Qimeng Source: China Youth Daily