Based on the international comparison of vocational education in major countries and regions, this book revisits and reappraises China’s vocational education in terms of its institutional advantages and recent outstanding performance. For a long time, vocational education in China has been undervalued among the public, and students in vocational schools are also underrated as academic failures. Drawing on the empirical methods and data of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the author compares vocational education across theglobe, including Germany, Austria and those with traditional high-performing vocational education systems, as well as China, Japan, South Korea and other Southeast Asian countries. The results show that Chinese vocational school students performed well, especially exhibiting competency in adapting to transforming requirements for labor force in an intelligent era. The book also presents the policy achievements of vocational education in promoting equity in China. It aims to reshape the public’s understanding of the competency development of students in vocational schools and give insights into promoting curriculum reform. The book will appeal to scholars and students of vocational education, education policy, Chinese education and PISA and also policymakers and practitioners of vocational education.

"Based on the international comparison of vocational education in major countries and regions, this book revisits and reappraises China's vocational education in terms of its institutional advantages and recent outstanding performance. For a long time, vocational education in China is undervalued among the public and students in vocational schools are also underrated as academic failures. Drawing on the empirical methods and data of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the author compares vocational education across the globe, including Germany, Austria and those with traditional high-performing vocational education systems, as well as China, Japan, South Korea and other Southeast Asian countries. The results show that Chinese vocational school students performed well, especially exhibiting competency in adapting to transforming requirements for labour force in an intelligent era. The book also presents the policy achievements of vocational education in promoting equity in China. It aims to reshape the public's understanding of the competency development of students in vocational schools and give insights into promoting curriculum reform. The book will appeal to scholars and students of vocational education, education policy, Chinese education and PISA and also policymakers and practitioners of vocational education"--

This book explores the holistic development of vocational education in Chinese education system. It investigates the vocational education policy development, student development, allocation of teachers’ resources, financial mechanism and system, students’ financial aid, examination and enrollment, private vocational education system, and school-enterprise cooperation. In addition, this book critically examines and epitomizes the contextualized China’s vocational education reform from multiple dimensions. This book also offers an in-depth explorations and analysis of current Chinese vocational education reform comprehensively. This is a highly informative and carefully presented book, providing academic insight for scholars and researchers who are interested and work in research on China’s vocational education reform in China as well as the administrators and stakeholders in Chinese education system and graduate students who majoring in the field of educational policy.

This book provides comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of research on technical and vocational education in China. It discusses various aspects that range from such conventional topics as teaching at different levels, development history, regulations, policies, curriculum, specialty setup, teaching, faculty and management; to the status quo, transformation and current trends; as well as quantity expansion and quality improvement, all of which highlight the unique characteristics of technical and vocational education in China. This book is intended for researchers and graduate students, and will also help international readers to grasp the general situation regarding technical and vocational education in China. Combining rich content and a broad scope, the book will undoubtedly offer a valuable key to understanding China’s technical and vocational education in the 21st century.

China is experiencing an unprecedented phenomenon: breakneck industrialization on a scale and at a pace not seen before. It is trying to achieve in just a few decades what Western nations took more than a century to do. The arrival in the country’s cities of tens of millions of rural dwellers, at most semi-skilled, has put huge strain on the country’s system of vocational education, known as TVET. How have the Chinese authorities and their education administrators responded? Is China’s TVET system adapting to the rapidly evolving needs of its industry? Using the province of Yunnan as a subject, this detailed case study is a closely argued and sanguine analysis of the operation of TVET in China. The authors deployed a set of internationally comparable criteria to offer a searching assessment of current performance, at the same time documenting areas of strength and weakness. The question the authors’ methodology answers is how well China’s TVET system is performing compared to technical and vocational education structures in other countries. In fact, they discover that in Yunnan, a province representative of the challenges faced nationwide, much has indeed been done, from a wholesale overhaul of programs to make them relevant to industry requirements, to major investment in infrastructure. Teacher training has been reformed, and take-up of professional master’s and doctoral courses has been encouraged. Joint initiatives with bodies such as UNESCO have improved training and vocational education at high school level. While there is a strong international history of such comparative evaluations, which are essential for policy makers to benchmark their administration, few studies have included China despite the enormous amount of value that can be learned from that country’s experience. This work will provide vital material for researchers, governments and development agencies alike.

The chapters in this book consider the past and present of education in China, elementary education, vocational education, higher education, adult education, education for ethnic minorities, modern distance education, teacher education and teachers, international exchanges and cooperation, the education funding system, and the study of education as a science.

China's accession to the World Trade Organisation in 2001 was a highly significant event both for China and for the wider world. This book argues that, although at the time some people doubted the likely benefits, China's WTO accession has been highly successful. It discusses how China has abided by its commitment to WTO terms and how WTO membership has contributed to China's reform and opening up; explores how vastly increased co-operative exchange with many countries around the world has been mutually beneficial in a range of fields including trade, science and culture; and shows how China's WTO membership has been a great stimulus both for China's economy and the world economy. The book considers the subject from a number of perspectives, and draws out lessons for future reform and development for China, and for China's relations with the rest of the world, emphasising the need to maintain a win-win approach.