TIANJIN (MNN); China’s vocational education and training system supplies nearly 10 million skilled workers to various industries annually, according to a fact sheet released at the World Vocational and Technical Education Development Conference 2026 in Tianjin.
According to Xinhua, the average duration of education among newly recruited skilled workers in China has reached 14.35 years.
In 2025, approximately 5.82 million students graduated from higher vocational and technical institutions, while around 5.22 million completed their education at secondary vocational schools.
China operates the world’s largest vocational education system, comprising 9,151 secondary vocational schools, 1,554 higher vocational colleges and 124 institutions offering vocational undergraduate programmes.
More than half of China’s higher education institutions are higher vocational institutions. In addition, 52 regular higher education institutions offer vocational bachelor’s degree programmes.
By the end of 2025, China’s vocational education curriculum covered 19 major fields, 97 subfields and 1,491 specialisations, encompassing nearly all sectors of the national economy and 41 major industry categories.
Global framework for vocational education standards
During the closing ceremony of the World Vocational and Technical Education Development Conference 2026 in Tianjin, a global framework for vocational and technical education standards was jointly released by 45 countries, with China playing a leading role in its development.
The framework focuses on improving vocational education systems, expanding lifelong learning and training opportunities, and strengthening cooperation between educational institutions and industry.
It also emphasises developing teaching materials through industry-education partnerships and building teaching teams through collaboration between educational institutions and businesses.
The framework further highlights the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in supporting reforms in teaching and learning.
The conference underscored China’s efforts to align vocational education with industrial requirements, develop a skilled workforce and strengthen international cooperation in vocational and technical education.
