Recently, the Ministry of Education and other six departments jointly issued the Measures for Promoting School-enterprise Cooperation in Vocational Schools. The head of the Department of Vocational Education and Adult Education of the Ministry of Education answered the reporter’s questions on relevant issues.
First, please introduce the background and significance of the Measures for Promoting School-enterprise Cooperation in Vocational Schools. What is the connection between it and the Opinions on Deepening the Integration of Industry and Education issued by the State Council?
The integration of production and education, school-enterprise cooperation is the basic mode of running vocational education, the inherent requirement of cultivating high-quality workers and technical and skilled personnel, and the key to running vocational education well. In 2014, the State Council’s "Decision on Accelerating the Development of Modern Vocational Education" proposed to study and formulate relevant regulations and incentive policies to promote school-enterprise cooperation in running schools. In 2016, the Central Deep Reform Group requested that policy documents on the promotion of school-enterprise cooperation be issued as soon as possible. Therefore, on the basis of communication with the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council, we issued the Measures for Promoting School-enterprise Cooperation in Vocational Schools in the form of joint issuance by multiple departments.
After the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, together with relevant departments, according to the requirements of "deepening the integration of production and education and school-enterprise cooperation" put forward in the report of the 19th National Congress, we revised the draft of the Measures, and agreed with the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the State Administration of Taxation, which was jointly issued on February 5, 2018 and officially implemented on March 1.
The Measures for Promoting School-enterprise Cooperation in Vocational Schools establishes the basic institutional framework of school-enterprise cooperation by clarifying the objectives, principles, implementation subjects, forms of cooperation, promotion measures and supervision and inspection of school-enterprise cooperation in vocational schools, which is of great significance for implementing the Supreme Leader’s Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought in the new era and the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, responding to the calls of the front and society for many years, deepening the integration of production and education, school-enterprise cooperation, and striving to run vocational education in the new era.
Previously, at the end of 2017, the State Council issued the "Several Opinions on Deepening the Integration of Industry and Education", which included 30 policies in seven aspects. This is a concrete measure for the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Education and other departments to jointly deepen the integration of industry and education. The Opinions pay more attention to the integration of production and education, and the Measures pay more attention to school-enterprise cooperation. Together, the two documents form a policy of "combination boxing" to implement the spirit of the 19th Party Congress in the field of vocational education and lead the integration of production and education and school-enterprise cooperation to a deeper level.
Second, please introduce the main policy innovations of the Measures for Promoting School-enterprise Cooperation in Vocational Schools.
The Measures for Promoting School-enterprise Cooperation in Vocational Schools includes five chapters, including general principles, forms of cooperation, promotion measures, supervision and inspection, and supplementary provisions, with 34 articles in total, highlighting three key words: promotion, standardization and guarantee, with six main policy innovations:
First, it is clear that school-enterprise cooperation refers to the cooperative activities implemented by secondary and higher vocational schools and enterprises in the process of implementing vocational education through joint education, cooperative research, co-construction of institutions and sharing of resources.
Second, it is proposed to establish a cooperation mechanism of school-enterprise leading, government promoting, industry guidance and school-enterprise dual-subject implementation. It stipulates the organizational form, subject qualification, cooperation form, rights and responsibilities of all parties, agreement content and process management of school-enterprise cooperation.
Third, it is clear that vocational schools and enterprises can carry out seven forms of cooperation in terms of talent training, technological innovation, employment and entrepreneurship, social services, cultural heritage and so on.
Fourth, the responsibilities of the state in promoting cross-regional school-enterprise cooperation, the responsibilities of local governments and specific policies in education, finance and taxation, employment and distribution are clarified.
Fifth, specific measures are put forward, such as cooperation between government and social capital, purchasing services, implementing fiscal and taxation land, vocational education groups, supporting pilot enterprises with integrated production and education, promoting the two-way flow of teachers and enterprise personnel, protecting students’ rights and interests, and building a service system.
Sixth, it stipulates the supervision and inspection responsibilities of education and related departments and the punishment mechanism for illegal acts, and stipulates the operation mechanism and division of powers of school-enterprise cooperation management at all levels of national, local and industrial enterprises.
3. Can you introduce the basic situation and main characteristics of the integration of production and education and school-enterprise cooperation in the field of vocational education at present?
As the administrative department of overall planning, comprehensive coordination and macro-management of vocational education, the Ministry of Education has always attached great importance to deepening the integration of production and education and school-enterprise cooperation, and actively guided industry enterprises to participate in vocational education together with other departments, which has achieved remarkable results.
First, under the leadership of the State Council, he did the preliminary research work of Several Opinions on Deepening the Integration of Industry and Education, and jointly formulated the Measures for Promoting School-enterprise Cooperation in Vocational Schools and other documents with relevant departments to improve the top-level design and promote the cooperative education and win-win development of vocational schools and industrial enterprises. Some places have also actively explored the new mechanism of school-enterprise cooperation and established relevant rules and regulations to promote the integration of production and education in vocational education. For example, Ningbo and other places have issued documents to promote school-enterprise cooperation.
Second, 56 industry steering committees have been adjusted and reorganized, covering all sectors of the national economy, forming a powerful carrier for industry to guide the development of vocational education. National teaching standards for vocational education have been issued, including professional catalogues, professional teaching standards, public basic curriculum standards, internship standards, teaching equipment and equipment specifications, etc. Together with other standards, a relatively complete national vocational education standard system has been formed, laying a foundation for managing education according to law and standardizing running schools.
The third is to improve the industry guidance ability. Actively carry out dialogue activities between industry and education, which have been held more than 70 times since 2010, deepening the docking and cooperation between industry and education. Promote and unite machinery, non-ferrous metals, supply and marketing, water conservancy and other industries to formulate special policies in different categories.
The fourth is to promote the joint implementation of education and teaching reform between schools and enterprises, jointly formulate training plans, jointly develop curriculum materials, share teachers’ resources, jointly build training bases, and share students’ employment.
The fifth is to enrich the forms of school-enterprise cooperation. More than 1,400 vocational education groups have been established nationwide, covering 90% of higher vocational schools and 70% of secondary vocational schools, attracting about 30,000 enterprises to participate. Guided the establishment of cooperative organizations such as vocational education school-enterprise integration alliance, and comprehensively launched the implementation of modern apprenticeship pilot. At the same time, the National Vocational College Skills Competition is held every year, and all events are designed by industry organizations, and enterprises fully participate in the implementation.
In the coming period, we will continue to implement the Decision of the State Council in 2014, and further give play to the role of industry enterprises and jointly promote the development of vocational education in accordance with the relevant requirements put forward by the Opinions issued by the State Council and the Measures issued by six departments.
IV. What specific measures will be taken to promote the implementation of the Measures for Promoting School-enterprise Cooperation in Vocational Schools?
The first is to strengthen overall leadership. Under the leadership of the State Council, we will further give full play to the role of the inter-ministerial joint conference system for vocational education, actively coordinate education, economy, labor, employment and other fields, formulate supporting policies for industrial enterprises to run vocational education, encourage enterprises to organize or participate in organizing vocational education, give full play to the important role of enterprises in running schools in the implementation of vocational education, and form a policy dividend of departmental coordination, provincial coordination and industrial enterprises’ participation.
The second is to play a policy combination boxing. According to the "Opinions" issued by the State Council, the division of responsibilities of the departments of the "Measures" will be refined and the implementation plan will be formulated. In promoting the implementation of "Opinions" and "Measures", we should effectively solve the problems that have always existed in school-enterprise cooperation, such as low enthusiasm, low degree of participation, "one head is hot" and "two skins", solve the problems of unsmooth operation mechanism of school-enterprise cooperation, nonstandard cooperation agreement, and insignificant educational effect, stimulate the endogenous motivation of industry enterprises to participate in vocational education, lay a good "combination boxing" and gnaw down "hard bones" to form.
The third is to carry out a large sample pilot. It is necessary to actively implement the integration project of production and education in vocational education and the pilot project of integration of production and education, study, formulate and start the implementation of the "100 thousand" action plan of integration of production and education, and select about 10 provinces, 100 cities and 1,000 demonstration vocational schools (vocational education groups) and enterprises to carry out the pilot project of integration of production and education according to the regional development strategy and industrial layout. Refine the specific policies to promote the running of schools by enterprises in various industries, implement the Opinions and Measures and the Guiding Opinions on Deepening the Reform of Education and Medical Institutions Run by State-owned Enterprises jointly issued by six departments, including the State Council State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, support enterprises, especially state-owned enterprises, to set up vocational schools, and expand the space for social capital to participate in vocational education. We will continue to promote the modern apprenticeship and the training of new apprentices in enterprises. Summarize the pilot work experience, deeply digest, absorb and popularize the German "dual system" and other experiences, and further consolidate and develop the work pattern of deep integration of production and education and collaborative education between schools and enterprises. Continue to guide the construction of a number of in-depth cooperation projects between schools and enterprises, focus on serving a number of "invisible champion" enterprises, and boost China’s industrial transformation and upgrading. A number of outstanding cases of vocational education groups were introduced, with emphasis on supporting the construction of a number of large-scale cross-regional vocational education groups under industry guidance.
The fourth is to increase publicity. Through holding a press conference, micro-media promotion and other forms, publicize the Opinions and Measures, publicize the integration of production and education, the achievements of school-enterprise cooperation and typical cases in the field of vocational education, and promote the integration of production and education and school-enterprise cooperation to become conscious actions of all parties.
The fifth is to do a good job in basic work. Continue to carry out research on the integration of production and education and school-enterprise cooperation, and constantly improve the national vocational education standard system.