China's vocational schools cultivate 10 mln skilled workers annually

Secondary and post-secondary vocational schools in China train around 10 million skilled workers every year, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Tuesday.

In 2021, vocational colleges enrolled 5.57 million students, 1.8-fold of the figure 10 years ago, and secondary vocational schools recruited 4.89 million students, the MOE said at a press conference.

More than 70 percent of new employees for businesses in modern manufacturing, strategic emerging industries and modern services among other sectors are graduates of vocational schools, the ministry said citing survey findings.

The number of full-time teachers for vocational schools rose 17 percent to 1.29 million in 2021 from the 2012 figure, said the MOE, noting the expanding teaching teams have underpinned the development of China's vocational education over the last decade.