As society's demand for highly skilled talent continues to grow, how can more students and parents come to accept vocational education? Regarding the high-quality development of vocational education, what topics do people expect the National Two Sessions to focus on?

　　On the eve of the National Two Sessions, the Social Survey Center of China Youth Daily, in collaboration with the questionnaire website wenjuan.com, conducted a survey on expectations for the National Two Sessions, with a total of 2,002 participants. The survey shows that 59.0% of respondents said they would agree to their children attending a vocational high school or higher vocational college. Regarding the development of vocational education, 53.7% of respondents hope the National Two Sessions will focus on increasing incentives for outstanding skilled talent. 51.2% of respondents hope to improve the skilled talent evaluation system and open up a development channel between senior technicians and engineers.

　　59.0% of respondents said they would agree to their children choosing to attend a vocational high school or higher vocational college in the future

　　Chang Pengfei, a parent of a junior high school student in Shanxi, has already been preparing for his child to enter a vocational school in the future. "Judging from my child's current grades, there is a high probability that he will attend a vocational school, and I am mentally prepared for this. Moreover, from what I understand, as long as the right major is chosen, future employment will not be difficult." Chang Pengfei has selected several majors for his child and will let the child make the final decision based on interest.

　　The survey shows that if their children were to choose to attend a vocational high school or higher vocational college in the future, 59.0% of respondents said they would agree, 16.8% said they would not agree, and 24.2% said it was hard to say.

　　"In recent years, parents have generally placed greater emphasis on their children's education, and as family conditions continue to improve, they are also able to let their children continue studying, so vocational colleges have become the choice of many parents." Liu Ting observed in her hometown of Jiangxi during this year's Spring Festival that many children who did not get into university after the college entrance examination are sent by their parents to receive vocational education. As vocational colleges continue to increase in number, parents have more choices, and their acceptance of vocational education is also rising.

　　Zhang Yan, a teacher at a vocational college in Beijing, believes that to help more parents accept their children attending vocational colleges, on the one hand, the relevant institutions should strengthen the development of advantageous majors and align with social needs. For example, the new energy and artificial intelligence majors at her own school are relatively well recognized and can attract high-scoring students. On the other hand, school-enterprise cooperation should be strengthened to guarantee student employment. Her school, for instance, cooperates with enterprises to offer "order-based classes" for talent cultivation, in which students are trained for specific positions and directly join the corresponding enterprises upon graduation. This model is relatively more favored by students.

　　Liu Ting said that many parents rush to choose popular majors for their children without noticing society's demand for highly skilled talent, and they do not really understand how to make choices in light of development trends. When schools set up majors, they also fail to conduct research on local talent demand directions, resulting in structural talent mismatches among graduates. She hopes vocational colleges will continuously optimize their talent cultivation plans and further advance the integration of industry and education.

　　53.7% of respondents hope to increase incentives for outstanding skilled talent

　　Liu Ting lives in Shenzhen, where there is a vocational school with a good reputation. "The curriculum is reasonably designed, students can learn real skills, and after graduation they can find jobs easily with high salaries. Many large enterprises now recruit senior technicians, such as new energy vehicle companies, which have a large demand for senior technicians in manufacturing and repair."

　　Zhang Yan said that our country's transition from a major manufacturing country to a strong manufacturing country cannot be achieved without highly skilled talent, so talent cultivation in vocational colleges must keep pace.

　　"Parents are generally concerned about the teaching quality of vocational education. Both teaching quality and the building of school culture need to be improved. Students in vocational colleges today seem to be under little study pressure, and their prospects after graduation are even more of a problem." Liu Ting believes that strengthening the development of vocational education requires, first, making efforts in school culture, character development, and the practicality of skills, and second, targeted training based on enterprise needs to increase students' employment opportunities.

　　Regarding the development of vocational education, what topics do people expect the National Two Sessions to focus on? In the survey, 53.7% of respondents hope to increase incentives for outstanding skilled talent; 51.2% hope to improve the skilled talent evaluation system and open up a development channel between senior technicians and engineers; 47.2% hope to improve school-enterprise cooperation and advance the integrated development of industry and education; 45.4% hope to expand the scale of vocational undergraduate education; 42.4% hope to improve the quality of vocational education; and 41.4% hope to increase funding and support.

　　Chang Pengfei hopes that the channel for vocational college students to pursue further education will be smoothed. "If my child finds his interests and future development direction while studying at a vocational school, I hope there will be more opportunities to enter higher education institutions for further study."

　　Zhang Yan said that society generally believes that vocational school students are those eliminated by examinations, and more effort is still needed on the social status of vocational school students and the perception of vocational education. Zhang Yan believes that eliminating discrimination against vocational college students requires raising their salary levels.

　　In addition, 37.1% of respondents hope to raise the social status of vocational education and increase its recognition; 28.6% believe that the "craftsman spirit" should be promoted and occupational role models established; and 17.1% suggest promoting close alignment between major development and local industries.

　　The All-China Federation of Trade Unions recently issued the "Notice on Selecting Candidates for the Cultivation of Great Craftsmen in 2024," deciding to select about 200 great craftsmen for cultivation in 2024, with a cultivation period of two years, to demonstrate and guide localities and industries in actively supporting the cultivation of about 1,000 provincial- and ministerial-level craftsmen and about 5,000 municipal-level craftsmen, so as to cultivate and bring up a large number of great craftsmen and highly skilled talent to support Made in China and Created in China, and to drive the building of a knowledge-based, skill-based, and innovation-oriented industrial workforce.

　　Zhang Yan said that, as the saying goes, "in all 360 trades, one can become a champion in any of them." To raise the social status of skilled vocational talent, it is necessary to promote the "craftsman spirit," establish occupational role models, improve the pay and benefits of skilled talent, smooth career development channels, and provide broad space for talent growth.