Recently, the Education Department of Shandong Province issued a document titled “Announcement of the List of Cities and Counties (Districts) Recommended for the Significant Achievements in Vocational Education Reform and Development in 2023”. Through recommendations from various cities and expert evaluations, five cities and eleven counties (districts) were identified as having significant achievements in vocational education reform and development in 2023. Yangxin County, Binzhou City, Shandong Province, is among the listed areas.
In recent years, Yangxin County has prioritized the development of vocational education, anchoring its efforts in the construction of a “dual-city” model, focusing on serving the high-quality development of the county’s economy. The county has deepened structural reforms on the supply side of vocational education, strengthened overall coordination, optimized resource allocation, and strived to create a distinctive model for vocational education in Yangxin County, known as the “one core, two elements, three stages” model.
Yangxin County has fully utilized the mechanism of joint meetings of vocational education departments to actively implement measures for the construction of vocational education hubs. In conjunction with the formulation of plans for economic and social development at the county level, vocational education development has been synchronized and coordinated. Efforts have been made to improve the ratio of vocational to general education enrollments each year, achieving a roughly equivalent scale and conditions for secondary vocational schools and regular high schools within the county. A financial input system has been established to match the scale of operation and training requirements, and per capita funding standards for secondary vocational schools have been implemented in accordance with the law. The construction of a “dual-teacher” teaching team has been strengthened, with the proportion of “dual-teacher” teachers gradually increased to over 75%. Initiatives such as joint enrollment and training between schools and enterprises, as well as the promotion of the “1+X” certificate system, have been actively carried out. As a result, vocational education in Yangxin County has demonstrated a positive trend of high-quality and healthy development, empowering the transformation and upgrading of both old and new industries throughout the county.
The recognition of Yangxin County as a county with significant achievements in vocational education reform and development in Shandong Province not only validates the practical effects of vocational education reform but also lays a solid foundation for enhancing the overall level and social influence of vocational education in the county. Promoting further development of vocational education in Yangxin County will not only attract more funding and policy support but also facilitate the deep integration of vocational education with the local economy.
