Other companies are taking note.

The Shenyang plant of BMW Brilliance Automotive, a joint venture of German carmaker BMW and a Chinese automaker, provides a 24-month dual education program for students from cooperative schools.

Li Tingsheng from BMW Brilliance, who is in charge of the program, said it had recently selected 60 students from a vocational college to study mechatronics and electrical maintenance.

"Students will learn theoretical knowledge and skills at college and in our plant," he said.

Li said the program is the same as those they provide for apprentices in Germany.

German Ambassador to China Michael Schaefer said the secret of the success of German manufacturing lies in skilled workers. That is why the country has been developing vocational education, he said.

In Germany, some young people go to vocational schools three days a week, and to plants for the remainder. So students will have parallel training, which usually lasts two to three years, he said.

Schaefer said the German and Chinese governments signed a memorandum on vocational training in 2011.

Pilot projects will be run to introduce dual vocational education in more vocational schools and German-invested enterprises in China.

Chongqing and Qingdao will be among the cities hosting the pilot projects.