College students interact with a soccer robot during a science fair at Southeast University in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, in October. (YANG BO/CHINA NEWS SERVICE)
China has added 40 new majors to its vocational education directory, marking the largest expansion since the latest revision in 2021, according to the Ministry of Education.
The new additions include three secondary vocational majors, 20 higher vocational majors and 17 vocational bachelor's degree majors, aiming to meet emerging industry demands and national strategies, the ministry announced on Thursday.
Over half the new majors target the real economy, particularly advanced manufacturing and digital industries, such as precision manufacturing technology for aerospace equipment and digital fashion design.
Meanwhile, vocational bachelor's programs accounted for nearly 50 percent of the additions, including nuclear engineering and nuclear technology applications, in an effort to address the need for highly skilled professionals to meet the demands of industrial upgrades.
The new majors align with China's efforts to build a more modernized industrial system, which aims to make scientific and technological innovation drive the development of new quality productive forces.
During the annual Central Economic Work Conference, which concluded in Beijing on Thursday, officials said efforts should be made to conduct large-scale demonstration for the application of new technologies, launch an AI Plus initiative and nurture industries of the future.
The meeting highlighted leveraging digital and green technologies to transform and upgrade traditional industries.
Other new majors in the vocational education directory include artificial intelligence data engineering, electronic information material applications and biopharmaceutical engineering technology, catering to AI, new materials and biomedicine industries.
Majors such as high-quality farmland construction and application technology, as well as tea production and application technology, were designed to support agricultural modernization.
Programs such as resource recycling engineering were introduced to serve the country's sustainable development goals. In addition, to support efforts in becoming a sports powerhouse, new majors also involve football sports and management.
The directory has seen major revisions every five years and annual updates.
In March 2021, the ministry comprehensively amended the directory, setting 19 categories, 97 disciplines and 1,349 majors which cover three stages of vocational education.
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