China’s vocational education system will expand to include programs in emerging fields such as the low-altitude economy, artificial intelligence, high-end equipment, and urban renewal, according to a new guideline released on Thursday by the Ministry of Education.

The guideline urged institutions to dynamically adjust their programs by adding new disciplines, phasing out redundant ones, and upgrading existing courses to better align with industrial transformation and national strategic needs.

A rapid-response mechanism will be established to introduce new programs tailored to burgeoning sectors and future industries. Special attention will be given to fields with critical talent shortages, including the low-altitude economy, artificial intelligence, high-end equipment, and urban renewal.

At the same time, programs with weak faculty resources, poor teaching quality, or low employment rates will face closure or consolidation to prevent scattered and inefficient program layouts.

Local authorities are encouraged to leverage big data and artificial intelligence to forecast talent supply and demand in key sectors, providing scientific grounds for timely program adjustments.

The reform outlines five key tasks: adjusting academic programs, designing integrated curricula, diversifying textbook formats, upgrading teacher competencies, and building industry-education integrated training bases. These efforts aim to shift vocational education from knowledge transmission to comprehensive skill development.

To ensure coordinated implementation, the ministry will involve top executives from leading enterprises, high-level vocational schools, and industry organizations in carrying out the reforms.

Provincial education departments are required to formulate program planning based on regional industrial blueprints and publish annual compatibility reports. They should also regularly publish three lists of programs: those in urgent demand, those requiring upgrades, and those considered outdated.

Local education-industry alliances are expected to release guidance on talent demand forecasts and program planning.

By 2027, the ministry aims to establish a modern vocational education standards system covering programs, curricula, textbooks, teachers, and training facilities, along with a replicable model. By 2035, it envisions a vocational education framework with Chinese characteristics that significantly enhances the system’s capacity to serve national strategies and industrial upgrading.

According to the ministry, the country had 12.29 million students in secondary vocational schools, 17.64 million students in vocational colleges, and 109,600 students in vocational universities by the end of 2024.