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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.

International Comparisons of China's Technical and Vocational Education and Training System

Table of ContentsList of TablesList of Figures1. IntroductionUndertaking a comparative evaluationSome terms and definitionsOutline of the book2. Education and Training in ChinaOverview of the education systemPrimary schoolingJunior secondary schoolingSenior secondary schoolingHigher EducationTechnical and Vocational Education and TrainingConclusion3. International Comparisons of TVETAims of international comparisonsStrategies for making international comparisonsBrief history of international indicatorsTVET-specific comparisonsOccasional or periodic comparisons with other countriesConclusion4. A Review of Current Practice in ChinaTypes of researchTypes of comparisonsPublished articles on indicatorsExamples of case-study comparisons with other countriesConclusion5. Framework for Comparing China's TVET SystemRequirements for making international comparisonsThe International Standard Classification for EducationThe Application of ISCED to Chinese educationTVET policy priorities in ChinaSelection of indicatorsData Sources *Countries selected for comparisonConclusion6. Comparisons of Social and Economic ContextContext comparisons using selected indicators7. ResourcesInput indicatorsComparisons using selected input indicatorsAdditional possible input indicatorsConclusion8. Participation and Outcome IndicatorsParticipation in Initial TVETGraduationParticipation in continuing TVETIndicators that cannot yet be includedConclusion9. Work-based Education and TrainingConsidering TVET in the context of YunnanData collection survey on continuing vocational training inYunnanAnalysis of data from the employee and employer questionnairesApplying the survey results from Yunnan to international comparisonsComparisons with the EU based on key quantitative CVT indicatorsComparisons of CVT (work-based formal training)10. ConclusionThe performance of the Chinese TVET systemOn international comparisons and TVET dataFinal noteReferences