China: Technical and Vocational

Technical and Vocational

Overview

Information on key aspects of a country’s education system, including governance, instructional language, and other structural features defined by national or regional regulations.

Ministry Responsible

Local education authorities, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, National Industrial Committee for Vocational Education and Teaching

Language of Instruction

Standard Chinese (Mandarin), in most cases

Duration

3 to 4 years

Qualifications, Curriculum, Grading

Not all awards or study patterns are included.

No.	Qualification Name	Senior secondary school graduation certificate and occupational certificate*
1	Awarding Body	Ministry of Education
2	Admission Requirements	Completion of elementary education
3	Length of Program	3 years 4 years (for some programs)
4	Streams	Various occupations
5	Graduation Requirements	General academic coursework Speciality/vocational (zhongzhi) coursework 1-year practicum or gaokao preparation
6	Post-graduation Pathways	Access to: post-secondary vocational education employment

* Certificate titles vary by type of vocational school

Institutions

Types and number of officially recognized institutions providing secondary education.

No.	Institution Type	Number of Institutions	Qualifications Offered	Ministry Reponsible
1	Regular specialized secondary schools	3,275 (2022)	Diploma and qualification certificate	Provincial or local authorities (under auspices of Ministry of Education)
2	Vocational high schools	3,152 (2022)	Diploma and qualification certificate	Provincial or local authorities (under auspices of Ministry of Education)
3	Adults specialized secondary schools	774 (2022)	Diploma and qualification certificate	Provincial or local authorities (under auspices of Ministry of Education)
4	Other secondary vocational education institutions	269 (2022)	Diploma and qualification certificate	Provincial or local authorities (under auspices of Ministry of Education)

Source: Ministry of Education, People's Republic of China

Enrollment

Enrollment Share

Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational programs.

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics