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VC’ S CORNER
900 million-strong labour force can be trained to master medium- and high-level skills,” Premier Li said.
The centrepiece of the reform is to reshape 640 institutions into universities of applied sciences offering applied bachelor and master-level qualifications, linking vocational education and training.
The creation of this new binary or dual-sector system in China is intended to capitalise on the much higher employment rates for those graduating from vocational education institutions – they often exceed 80 per cent in the six months following graduation. These graduates also fare better in their starting salaries, even when compared with their counterparts from the top universities in China.
Universities of applied sciences will mainly be local institutions administered by provincial and municipal governments, signalling further decentralisation.
These universities will become the only pathway for the 30 million students studying at 13,600 vocational schools and colleges across China; to reinforce this reform, the Ministry of Education is closing the option of students from vocational colleges to enrol directly at academic universities.
There will, however, be a flow of students between these universities and their academic counterparts, particularly at the postgraduate level.
Universities of applied sciences will be granted more autonomy in testing and admitting students, with the implementation of separate examination and admission systems from gaokao, the national Chinese entrance exam for admission to academic universities.
In conjunction with the establishment of universities of applied sciences, priority areas for vocational education have been identified. Modern agriculture, advanced manufacturing, service industries, energy, transportation, ocean industries, social management and creative and culture industries will be favoured.
These transformational processes in VET will be accompanied by curriculum, teaching and infrastructure reforms to encourage more active participation of industry in the training and placement of students.
The strategy sets the goal of getting more than 80 per cent of large and mediumsized companies actively involved with universities of applied sciences.
By 2020, it is anticipated that 40 million students in tertiary education in China will be following pathways into VET and universities of applied sciences.
About 150 local universities have already started the process to become applied sciences institutions. Once completed, China’ s tertiary education landscape will be transformed, comprising 500 academic universities, 640 universities of applied sciences and 1300 vocational colleges. As one report indicated:“ While some institutions will convert willingly, others may be more reluctant.”
The magnitude of this change in China has been sufficient to marshal Germany, the UK and the Netherlands into action to provide consultancy, professional services and advice.
The Australian federal and state governments are also now becoming active and recently had involvement in major conferences on VET in Beijing and Chengdu.
The connection of the senior leadership in China, including Premier Li Keqiang, with this transformation and investment in tertiary education has been a crucial ingredient. Premier Li says:“ It’ s about improving people’ s livelihoods and the country’ s development.”
For Lu Xin, vice-minister in China’ s Ministry of Education, and a key advocate of the change, the reality is that“ Chinese universities have been churning out graduates by the millions each year, but an increasing number of graduates find it tough landing a job.”
She says the structural problem in the country’ s higher education system is the“ way it grooms talent” but universities of applied sciences are now poised to become part of a“ modern vocational education system and accelerate the strategic restructuring of China’ s higher education system.”
This is indeed a bold reform on a grand scale. It has momentum and political support and its success is crucial to an economy that has overtaken the US as the world’ s largest.
China’ s growth, of course, has not been achieved in isolation. International trade and development have assisted greatly. Whilst much has been written about this and the subsequent contribution that the Chinese have made to the development of Australia, little is known about the early educational links between the two nations.
One detail that has been recorded is the establishment of the School of Mines in Ballarat( SMB) in 1870. SMB, a predecessor of Federation University Australia, was Australia’ s first regional tertiary education institution, as well as its first VET provider.
Its inaugural president, Justice Redmond Barry( later to become chancellor of the University of Melbourne), wanted to create an institution offering the possibility of degree-level courses in Ballarat in areas of specialisation such as mining, engineering and the sciences. To complement these programs, SMB also developed a range of technical programs in the trades and related areas, making it the first dual-sector institution in Australia.
Very quickly, SMB gained a national and international reputation, particularly in mining engineering and geology, not surprising given Ballarat’ s location on the gold fields.
In 1906, the Chinese imperial commissioner, Hwang How Cheng, visited SMB to look at skills training in mining, engineering and technology.
The local newspaper reported that the commissioner’ s visit to the Ballarat School of Mines would give him the knowledge that“ would probably be of the utmost usefulness in the development of the great resources of China”.
The reports of the commissioner’ s visit, and his comments about its international fame for mining education, led to subsequent delegations from China to SMB and the establishment of close education and training links with China. These were probably the first such partnerships for an Australian tertiary education institution.
Australian universities can gain much by learning from the growth of China and how it is refining higher education. China’ s modernisation program and its emphasis on increased skills and graduate employment are priorities that Australian universities would do well to embrace also. ■
David Battersby is vice-chancellor of Federation University Australia. He was a keynote speaker at the International Education Asia Forum held in Chengdu in early November 2014, at which China’ s VET reforms were discussed.
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