International Education Guide - China - Enterprise and Advanced ...

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION GUIDE FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATION FROM CHINA
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There are three required general subjects for all programs:
Chinese, mathematics and physical education. Other
general subjects (physics, chemistry, biology, foreign
language, geography, history, music and fine art) may be
offered depending on the specialty or occupation. Many
programs list foreign language and computer applications as
required courses.
Upon successful completion of their study and passing
the provincial graduation examinations, students receive a
certificate of graduation from vocational senior secondary
school ( 职 业 高 中 毕 业 证 书 ). In some provinces, they
may also receive a certificate of comparable educational
competence of general senior secondary school ( 普 通 高 中 同
等 学 历 证 书 ).
Though vocational senior secondary education is highly
employment-oriented, it offers some access to further
education, mainly in the technical–vocational specialties.
Under the same conditions as specialized senior secondary
schools before 2000, vocational senior secondary school
graduates had to work for two or three years before they
were allowed to take the NCEE and be admitted into
academic programs. Alternatively, they could get into
zhuanke-level technical–vocational programs in the year
of graduation by passing entrance examinations specially
designed for graduates of vocational secondary schools.
Since 2000 the Ministry of Education has allowed
graduates of vocational senior secondary schools to
take the NCEE in the year of their graduation. To help
their students pass the NCEE, some schools revised the
curriculum to allow more time for general subjects.
skilled workers schools
Skilled workers schools ( 技 工 学 校 ) are senior secondary
schools that train skilled workers ( 技 术 工 人 ). Unlike
vocational secondary schools, they have been under the
jurisdiction of the Ministry of Labour rather than the
Ministry of Education since 1978. Provincial and local
labour and personnel departments ( 劳 动 人 事 部 门 ) approve
the establishment, restructuring and termination of skilled
workers schools.
According to guidelines jointly published by the Ministry of
Labour and Personnel and the State Education Commission
in 1986, the aim of skilled workers schools is to train
mid-level skilled workers. Upon graduation, students
should have acquired general and specialized knowledge
and analytical and problem-solving ability as well as the
operational skills needed for an occupation.
A typical program admits junior secondary graduates and
involves three years of full-time study (or two years for
some specialties, especially in the service industry). A small
number of programs that recruit senior secondary students
involve one or two years of full-time study. Curriculum
standards used to be set by various departments of the
central and provincial governments.
Each program consists of general subjects, specialty subjects
and practicum (sometimes undertaken at a school-run
factory). Like other secondary vocational schools, most
skilled workers schools have currently adopted textbooks
based on the national syllabuses for secondary vocational
schools, published by the Ministry of Education in 2000.
There are three required general subjects for all programs:
Chinese, mathematics and physical education. Other
general subjects (physics, chemistry, biology, foreign
language, geography, history, music and fine art) may be
offered according to the specialty or occupation. Many
programs list foreign language and computer applications as
required courses.
Upon successful completion of their study, students receive
a certificate of graduation from skilled workers school
( 技 工 学 校 毕 业 证 书 ). Many schools, especially national
and provincial key schools, have incorporated technical
certification programs into their curriculum, so that the
majority of their graduates will also receive a mid-level
occupational certificate ( 中 级 职 业 资 格 证 书 ).
higher vocational education
Higher vocational education in China began in the 1980s
with the establishment of many municipally administered
“vocational universities” ( 职 业 大 学 ). Currently, higher
vocational education is available at the zhuanke level from
various types of institutions, such as vocational universities,
specialized junior colleges and adult higher education
institutions as well as radio and TV universities. Recently,
the Ministry of Education has adopted the general term
“higher vocational and specialized education” ( 高 职 高 专 ).
The education reform initiative launched by the Chinese
central government in 1999 aimed to restructure all
institutions offering higher vocational education, which will
eventually adopt standardized names as vocational colleges