Foresight needed to manage new vocational courses

The Changzhou Vocational Institute of Textile and Garment in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, has reportedly suspended enrollment of students into its e-sports major course this year.

The Ministry of Education had approved the course in 2017. By 2022, the number of vocational colleges offering e-sports majors peaked at 146, but this year it has dipped to 127. A number of new majors have appeared in vocational schools these years. However, the life span of some of these courses is rather short because of the fast changes in the job market.

Rapidly launching and then closing down a program is a significant waste of resources. In July, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and six other departments jointly issued the Implementation Plan for the Action of Promoting the Integration of Industry and Education in Vocational Education (2023-25). The document emphasized that the design of vocational education majors should be in line with the practical needs of the job market to avoid oversupply of graduates in certain majors within a short period of time.

It is suggested the provincial education authorities pay more attention to planning the overall enrollment scale of new majors in order to avoid homogeneous competition among the graduates.

On the other hand, the vocational schools should work closely with the enterprises and other potential employers of their future graduates to make their courses more targeted to ensure the students meet the needs of the job market.