2021 Volume 2021 Issue 62 Pages 155-176
In recent years, higher vocational education has been valued by the governments of many countries around the world. While spreading of higher vocational education, it is necessary to cooperate closely with outside world. This study aims to clarify the characteristics of cooperations between higher vocational education institutions and enterprises by concretely analyzing and considering the practical situation of cases in the People's Republic of China (China).
China has begun to emphasize vocational education in the higher education stage and has implemented several methods since the beginning of the 21st century. One of the methods - the “Modern Apprenticeship” - has been implemented by China’s Ministry of Education since 2014. The characteristic of Modern Apprenticeship is that students sign employment contracts with enterprises while attending higher vocational education institutions simultaneously, and they are anticipated to acquire knowledge and skills through practicing and learning at the workplace in enterprises as well as in higher vocational education institutions. As is mentioned above, China’s higher vocational education institutions have incorporated the element of cooperation with enterprises into the school systems by the introduction of the Modern Apprenticeship. It is necessary to extensively analyze the status and issues of that to enhance the understanding of the development of China's higher vocational education and to clarify the characteristics of cooperation between higher vocational education institutions and enterprises.
In order to gain knowledge on the cooperations between higher vocational education institutions and enterprises in the implementation of higher vocational education in China, this following study has confirmed the institutional framework of the Modern Apprenticeship through government documents and individual cases,and the practice situation through the quantitatively consideration of final reports made by each higher vocational education institution. These materials have been analyzed on four sides to determine the collaboration between higher vocational education institutions and enterprises in the practice of the Modern Apprenticeship: 1) student status, 2) the reorganization of educational content that includes specific educational methods, 3) teacher groups, and 4)related recognition. As a result, the characteristics of cooperation between higher vocational education institutions and enterprises of the Modern Apprenticeship have been clarified, and can be summarized as follows.
First of all, Modern Apprenticeship was proposed by the Chinese government as a measure to bring about the input of human resources and academic resources on the corporate side in human resource development, while the forms of cooperation between higher vocational education institutions and enterprises are specified. This new approach is a talent training method with the highest degree and the widest range of cooperations between higher vocational education institutions and enterprises, and with reference to the experience of the UK Apprenticeship, which is oriented toward corporate demand.
Secondly, in practical situations, the ease of implementation of cooperation varies depending on the item. Specifically, the short-term cooperation in the admission stage and the reorganization of educational content can be practiced when necessary rather than continuously. However, there are difficulties in teacher training which requires longer-term cooperation. Therefore, when it comes to collaboration between higher vocational education institutions and enterprises, it is necessary to subdivide the items into more specific ones depending on which aspect the respective cooperation is concerned with. (View PDF for the rest of the abstract.)
