Top political advisor urges enhancing vocational education

BEIJING, June 3 -- China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng on Tuesday urged various measures to deploy a modern vocational education program to facilitate economic development and increase employment.

Vocational education concerns the transformation of China's economic development pattern and long-term competitiveness. It is also vital to improve the employment of the vast labor force, said Yu, chairman of the National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

To strengthen vocational education, the government should make favorable policies, increase investment and improve education systems to raise education quality and nurture talents with special skills of applied technology, he said while presiding over a symposium held by the CPPCC.

Twenty-seven CPPCC members and experts participating the symposium suggested innovating systems for vocational education, integrate its development with industrial transformation, reform assessment mechanism for professional skills, promote the education in regions of ethnic minorities and increase investment.

Vice Premier Liu Yandong called for better coordination of industries and education as well as cooperation between colleges and enterprises so as to enhance education quality.

Non-governmental investment should be attracted into the field and governments of all levels should give schools more independence to inspire their vitality in teaching students, she said.