Sector Assessment for Technical and Vocational Education and Training

Sichuan Ziyang Inclusive Green Development Project (RRP PRC 51189)

SECTOR ASSESSMENT FOR TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

I. Introduction

1. During the Twelfth Five-Year Plan, 2010–2015, vocational education in the Ziyang Municipality (Ziyang) has generally been developed; but has not been responsive to the skills needed for its social and economic transformation and development. The proposed objectives, tasks and change the mode of development in Ziyang during the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan, 2016– 2020, have provided opportunities and posed a severe challenge for the development of Ziyang’s technical and vocational education and training (TVET). To meet these challenges and serve the transformation and development of Ziyang, the municipality needs to cultivate a large number of technical and vocational skills to respond to the labor market requirements. To clarify the current situation and future direction, it is deemed necessary to undertake a sector assessment for TVET in Ziyang.

II. Basic Situation of Ziyang’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training Sector

A. Situation Analysis—Technical and Vocational Education and Training Sector in Ziyang

A. Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training Schools

2. In 2017, there were seven secondary vocational education schools in Ziyang, comprising 4 public and 3 private schools. As shown in Table 1, the type of the TVET institutions are as follows: (i) 1 national key and demonstration school, (ii) 1 provincial key school, (iii) 2 municipal key schools, and (iv) 3 general schools.

Table 1: Secondary Education Technical and Vocational Education and Training Schools in Ziyang

No Name Location Public/Private Notes 1 Sichuan Ziyang technical and vocational Yanjiang Public Key technical and education and training center vocational education and training school at provincial level 2 Anyue first vocational and technical school Anyue Public Key city level school 3 Lezhi County senior vocational middle Lezhi Public National school demonstration school 4 Yanjiang District vocational and technical Yanjiang Public Key city level school school, Ziyang 5 Ziyang automotive science and technology Yanjiang Private General school vocational school 6 Lezhi mechanical and electrical vocational Lezhi Private General school and technical school, Ziyang 7 Anyue applied technology vocational Anyue Private General school school Source: Ziyang Municipal Education and Sports Bureau.

a. Student Enrollment

3. Based on past trends, the number of entrants, enrollment, and graduates in secondary TVET schools in Ziyang have shown a decreasing trend. The number of entrants dropped from 16,311 in 2013 to 9,620 in 2017; the number of enrollment dropped from 42,554 to 19,942; and corresponding number of graduates declined from 17,682 in 2015 to 12,239 in 2017. Consistent with trends in the TVET, the entrants in senior high school in Ziyang likewise declined. Consequently, the proportion of students in secondary TVET schools to general senior secondary schools decreased from about 50:50 in year 2013 to 48:52 in year 2017.

Figure 1: Enrollment and/or Graduates of Secondary Vocational Education Schools in Ziyang 45000 42554 40000 36358 35000

30000 30151 27527 25000

20000 19942 17682 16311 17439 15000 14171 12784 12239 10000 9226 9649 9776 9620 5000

0 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

enrollment entrant graduate

Source: Ziyang Municipal Education and Sports Bureau.

Table 2: Trends in Student Enrollment Ziyang Secondary Vocational School, 2013– 2017 Completion Rate Year Enrollment Entrants Graduates (%) 2013 42,554 16,311 9,226 111.14 2014 36,358 9,649 17,439 85.44 2015 30,151 12,784 17,682 82.93 2016 27,527 9,776 14,171 91.30 2017 19,942 9,620 12,239 72.45 Source: Ziyang Municipal Education and Sports Bureau.

b. Specialties in Secondary Vocational Education Schools

4. In 2017, there were about 24 specialties in secondary TVET schools in Ziyang. The number of entrants in preschool education comprise 25% of total entrants, followed tourism service and management (11.4%) of the total entrants. Entrants ranking from third and eighth are automobile manufacturing and maintenance, electronic commerce, vehicle use and maintenance, clothing design and processing technology, machining process technology, and computer application. The details are shown in the following figure:

Figure 2: Entrants in Specialties in Ziyang Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training Schools, 2017 Entrants of different specialties and their percentage in Secondary VET schools in Ziyang, 2017 6000 30.00% 5000 25.00% 4000 20.00% 3000 15.00% 2000 10.00% 1000 5.00%

0 0.00%

Dance…

Others

preschool…

Electronic…

Computer… Computer…

Electronic…

Machining…

accounting

Mechanical…

Vehicle and… Vehicle

Automobile… Automobile…

The use and… use The

Aeronautical…

Primary Edu. Primary

Construction

Application of… Application of… Application of… Application

Comprehensive…

Application and… Application

Tourism service… Tourism

Hair beauty and… beauty Hair Chothing desing… Chothing

Entrants %

5. The TVET schools in Ziyang have the following specializations: (i) preschool education for Ziyang Vocational Education Center, (ii) construction engineering and application at the Yanjiang Senior Vocational school; (iii) clothing technology and design at the Anyue First VET School; and (iv) automobile manufacturing and maintenance, and computer application at the Lezhi senior vocational high school.

Table 3: Entrants in Key Specialties in Ziyang Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training Schools Construction Engineering and Computer Automobile Preschool Application Clothing Application Manufacturing and Education (Yanjiang Senior Technology and (Lezhi Maintenance (Lezhi (Ziyang VET Vocational Design (Anyue First Vocational High Senior Vocational Year Center) School) VET School) School) High School) 2013 1023 226 102 219 293 2014 1002 162 56 153 239 2015 1083 106 33 235 339 2016 1399 68 19 119 428 2017 1124 41 16 176 342 Source: Ziyang Municipal Education and Sports Bureau.

6. Entrants in some key specialties in the Ziyang TVET schools dropped a lot in recent years, such as in clothing technology and design and in construction engineering and application. The former one dropped from 226 students in 2013 to 41 students in 2017. The latter fell from 102 students in 2013 to 16 students in 2017.

Figure 3: Entrants in Key Specialties in the Ziyang Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training Schools in Recent Years The number of entrants in key specialties in Ziyang secondary vocational education schools 1500 1399 1083 1124 1000 1023 1002

500 428 339 342 293 239 0 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

pre school Edu. （Ziyang VET center） construction engineering and application（Yanjiang senior vocational school） Clothing technology and design (Anyue first VET school) computer application (Lezhi Vocational high school) Automobile manufacturing and maintenance (Lezhi senior Vocational high school )

7. During the past 5 years, there have been some changes in specialty setting of secondary TVET schools in Ziyang. Some new specialties were increased, some were cancelled, and some were adjusted. The details are shown in Table 4 below.

Table 4: Changes in the Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training Schools in Ziyang for the Last 5 Years Increased New Specialties Cancelled Specialties Adjusted Specialties Year Number Name Number Number Number Number Comprehensive Clothing design 2013 1 management of 1 and technology rural economy Comprehensive Electronic management of commerce, rural economy, 2014 3 aviation service, 2 construction hairdressing and engineering and image design operation The use and maintenance of 2015 1 agricultural machinery Automobile Automobile Application of application and manufacturing mechanical 2016 1 2 maintenance, hair 1 and and electrical beauty and image maintenance technology design Source: Ziyang Municipal Education and Sports Bureau. 5

c. Employment of the Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training Graduates

8. Although the proportion of students continuing to higher studies increased from 2013 to 2017, most of the TVET graduates get directly employed. In 2017, the proportion of direct employment of graduates accounted for 85%. The graduates of the secondary TVET schools in Ziyang are mainly employed outside the municipality. In 2013, the number of nonlocal employment of graduates accounted for 81% of the total graduates. In the last few years, this proportion has declined. But in 2017, 74% of the graduates were still employed outside of Ziyang.

Table 5: Past Trends in the Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training Graduates Number Employed Number of Local Non-local Students Entering Total Number of Year Employment Employment Higher Education Graduates 2013 486 2,085 151 2,804

2014 534 2,121 191 2,855

2015 873 2,306 294 3,542

2016 782 2,279 343 3,450

2017 758 2,138 432 3,379 Source: Ziyang Municipal Education and Sports Bureau.

Figure 4: Past Trends in the Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training Schools Graduates in Ziyang Secondary VET graduates situation of employment and contiuning to study in higher Edu. 4000 15% 13% 3000 2085 2121 2306 2279 10% 2138 10% 2000 8% 7% 5% 873 782 758 5% 1000 486 534

0 0% 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

local employment nonlocal employment continue to study in higher Edu. Total graduates % of graduates continuing to sduty in higher Edu.

Source: Ziyang Municipal Education and Sports Bureau.

d. Teachers Situation in Ziyang Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training Schools

9. In 2017, the total number of educational personnel in the secondary TVET schools in Ziyang was 998, of which 395 teachers had an educational background with general courses. 6

Most of the teachers were full-time (855); and (ii) 227 had double degree qualifications. The details are shown in Table 6 below.

Table 6: Profile of the Teachers in the Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training Schools in Ziyang General Double Student– Educational Full-Time Course Qualification Part-Time Teacher Year Personnel Teachers Teachers Teachers Teachers Ratio 2013 1,148 960 387 131 22 44.33：1 2014 1,089 913 342 175 28 39.82：1 2015 1,125 963 353 181 32 31.31：1 2016 1,057 908 373 124 32 30.32：1 2017 998 855 395 227 28 23.32：1 Source: Ziyang Municipal Education and Sports Bureau.

10. Based on 2017 data, there were 713 teachers with a bachelor's degree, or 83.4% of the total number of teachers in the Ziyang secondary TVET schools. Around 13.8% of these teachers have education below the undergraduate level, while 2.8% have a postgraduate degree. There were few part-time students coming from industry with practical experience in their fields of specialization. As shown in the table below, teachers with post graduate qualifications have been on a decreasing trend, while teachers with undergraduate degree has been maintained during the last 5 years.

Table 7: Qualifications of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Teachers in Ziyang, 2013–2017 Postgraduate Undergraduate Below Undergraduate Year Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 2013 222 2.29 698 72.71 240 25 2014 334 3.72 681 74.59 198 21.69 2015 220 2.08 774 80.37 169 17.55 2016 118 1.98 727 80.07 163 17.95 2017 24 2.81 713 83.39 118 13.8 Source: Ziyang Municipal Education and Sports Bureau

11. In 2017, the proportion of secondary TVET school teachers in Ziyang with senior, intermediate and primary titles was 26.1%, 36.7% and 33.3% respectively, and with 3.9% of the teachers had not obtained any degree. The details are shown in the table below.

Table 8: Profile of the Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training School Teachers in Ziyang Senior Intermediate Junior Not Categorized Year Number % Number % Number % Number % 2013 2,212 22.08 360 37.50 275 28.65 113 11.77 2014 2,202 22.12 339 37.13 240 26.29 132 14.46 2015 1,199 20.66 328 34.06 311 32.30 125 12.98 2016 1,201 22.14 321 35.34 270 29.74 116 12.78 2017 223 26.08 314 36.73 285 33.33 33 3.86 Source: Ziyang Municipal Education and Sports Bureau.

12. In 2017, the 855 full-time the ages TVET teachers was uniformly distributed. Teachers aged 29 and below, 30–34, 45–49, and 50–54 years old accounted for 17% of the full-time teachers. Teachers at the age of 35–39 and 40–44 were roughly equal, the former was 12%, and the latter was 13%. The 55–59 years old teachers were 6%.

e. Cooperation between Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training Schools and Enterprises

13. Secondary TVET schools in Ziyang had made efforts to cooperate with enterprises and had achieved some results. In 2017, there were 98 enterprises that signed cooperation agreements with the Ziyang secondary TVET schools or about 14 enterprises per secondary TVET school. Such cooperation agreements included the following: (i) signed cooperation agreements with 32 specialties with various enterprises; (ii) provision of tailor-made skills training for 1,422 students; (iii) joint cooperation between the TVET schools and enterprises for two research and development centers; (iv) participation of enterprises in teaching in 17 specialties with 37 teachers from cooperative enterprises providing the teaching. In 2017, two VEGs were set up in the Anyue secondary TVET school and the Lezhi County senior TVET middle school. Likewise, the senior TVET middle schools in the Lezhi County has agreements with seven enterprises involving seven specialties.

f. Facilities and Equipment

14. In 2017, the total area of the Ziyang secondary TVET schools covered 348,991 acres. The construction area was 247,130 square meters (m2), and the dormitory area was 80,423 m2. The total fixed assets of the TVET institutions was CNY30.84239 million, broken down as follows: (i) instrument and equipment amounted to CNY108.6201 million. There were 542,648 copies of paper books, 253,500 electronic books and 3,254 computers. In 2017, facilities and equipment in the Ziyang secondary TVET schools had been improved. The allotment per capita student for construction, equipment, and textbooks and/or materials had been increased (e.g., floor area– 15.95 m2, teaching equipment–CNY3,600, and practical training equipment–CNY3,400).

g. Investment

15. In 2017, the Ziyang secondary TVET schools were granted capital budgetary resources from both central and local government. The central and local levels provided the TVET schools CNY27.49 million and CNY69.83 million, respectively. The average financial grant per student was CNY2015. The teacher training fund was CNY598,100, the funds for teaching reform was CNY3.66 million, and the funds for education research was CNY382,500.

B. Situation Analysis—Ziyang Technical and Vocational Education and Training Center

1. General Information of Students in Ziyang Technical and Vocational Education and Training Center

16. In general, the number of entrants and enrolment in Ziyang TVET Center has shown an upward trend during the last five years. The number of new entrants increased from 1,109 in 2013 to 1,241 in 2017. The number of enrollment increased from 3,635 in 2013 to 4,126 in 2017. The details are shown in the table below.

Table 9: General Information of Students in the Sichuan Ziyang Technical and Vocational Education and Training Center Year Enrolment Entrants Graduates Completion Rate 2013 3,635 1,109 880 80.4% 2014 3,237 1,121 845 83.9% 2015 3,520 1,290 978 79.5% 2016 4,006 1,595 901 81.2% 2017 4,126 1,241 985 87.8% Source: Ziyang Municipal Education and Sports Bureau.

2. Course Specialties

17. In 2017, the Ziyang TVET Center offered four specialties, which were pre-school education, primary education, automobile manufacturing and maintenance, and computer. The number of entrants and full-time teachers from 2013 to 2017 are shown in the following table. Since 2013, there has been no change in the course specializations in the center.

Table 10: Number of Entrants and Full-Time Teachers in Ziyang Technical and Vocational Education and Training Center, 2013–2017 Automobile Pre- School Manufacturing and Education Primary Education Maintenance Computer

Full-Time Full-Time Full-Time Full-Time Year Entrants Teachers Entrants Teachers Entrants Teachers Entrants Teachers 2013 1,023 78 50 21 36 8 0 0 2014 1,002 78 97 30 22 9 0 0 2015 1,083 83 111 47 63 9 33 10 2016 1,396 107 105 47 67 10 27 17 2017 1,113 95 61 33 39 9 28 17 Source: Ziyang Municipal Education and Sports Bureau.

3. Teachers in the Ziyang Technical and Vocational Education and Training Center

18. In 2017, there were 173 staff members in the Ziyang TVET Center, including 145 full-time teachers; 105 teachers for general courses; and 6 teaches with double degree qualification. The details are shown in the following table.

Table 11: Teachers’ Situation in Ziyang Technical and Vocational Education and Training Center General Double Student to Educational Full-Time Course Qualifications Part- Time Teacher Year Personnel Teachers Teachers Teachers Teachers Ratio 2013 172 137 101 6 9 4.7% 2014 178 142 104 6 9 6.0% 2015 175 141 102 6 9 5.0% 2016 173 139 105 6 10 4.4% 2017 173 145 105 6 10 4.2% Source: Ziyang Municipal Education and Sports Bureau.

19. As shown in Table 12, 98% of the Ziyang TVET center teachers have bachelor's degree; and 1.4% of the teachers have postgraduate degree.

Table 12: Educational Background of Teachers in Ziyang Technical and Vocational Education and Training Center Postgraduate Undergraduate Below Undergraduate Year Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 2013 1 0.75% 131 98.5% 1 0.75% 2014 1 0.71% 138 98.6% 1 0.71% 2015 1 0.71% 139 98.6% 1 0.71% 2016 1 1.44% 138 98.6% 0 2017 2 1.4% 140 98.6% 0 Source: Ziyang Municipal Education and Sports Bureau.

20. The percentage of senior and junior teachers in Ziyang TVET center is relatively large, and the percentage of intermediate teachers is minimal. Around 80% of teachers are between 35 to 54 years old.

Table 13: Professional Level of Teachers in Ziyang Technical and Vocational Education and Training Center Senior Intermediate Junior Unrated Year Number % Number % Number % Number % 2013 50 37.59% 36 27.07% 44 33.08% 3 2.26% 2014 49 35.00% 39 27.86% 48 34.28% 4 2.86% 2015 51 36.17% 44 31.21% 46 32.62% 2016 52 37.41% 41 29.50% 46 33.09% 2017 52 36.62% 41 28.87% 49 34.51%

4. Employment of Graduates of Ziyang Technical and Vocational Education and Training Center

21. From 2013 to 2016, around 100% of graduates from Ziyang TVET Center got employed, with very few enrolling into higher education. Except for 24 students, all other graduates were directly employed in 2017. About 30% of the graduates were employed locally, and about 70% outside of Ziyang.

Table 14: Employment Profile of Graduates of Ziyang Technical and Vocational Education and Training Center, 2013–2017 Number of Initial Employment Number of Students Total Local Nonlocal Entering Higher Number of Year Employment Employment Education Graduates 2013 264 616 0 880 2014 253 592 0 845 2015 293 684 0 978 2016 271 630 0 901 2017 296 665 24 985

5. Higher Technical and Vocational Education and Training Education in Ziyang

22. In year 2011, Sichuan Hope Automobile Vocational College was established by the Sichuan Hope Education Group, which invested CNU 283 million for the Phase I project of the 10

college. This college recruited 940 students in 2013, and 1,252 in 2014. In 2017, the college offered a total of five specialties, including automobile application and maintenance with 150 entrants recruited; vehicle and accessories marketing with 19; computer application with 3; accounting with 33; and electronic commerce with 13.

III. Ziyang Technical and Vocational Education and Training Sector Assessment

A. Relevance

23. The automobile industry is one of the pillar industries in Ziyang. There were two specialties related to the automobile industry in secondary TVET schools: (i) automobile manufacturing and maintenance, and (ii) automobile application and maintenance. In 2017, these two specialties had a total enrolment of 4,054, accounting for 18.41% of the total TVET enrolment. This indicates that secondary TVET in Ziyang has responded to the demand of industries, further analysis of the labor market indicates increased demand for other skills, particularly in the Sichuan Ziyang High Technology Development Zone (SZHTDZ). The TVET sector in Ziyang is characterized by skills mismatch, with majority of graduates employed outside Ziyang.

24. The enrolment profile of the 7 secondary TVET schools indicate two specialties, preschool education and tourism service and management, comprising 25.2% and 11.4% respectively of the total enrolment. But the largest population of employment is in the construction industry in Ziyang. In year 2016, there were 32,532 people employed in this industry, accounting for 22.2% of the total employment population in Ziyang. In 2017, the construction sector had huge demand for such skills in Ziyang. However, only one secondary TVET school in Ziyang offered construction/engineering courses, which just recruited 139 entrants during that year, accounting for only 0.6% of the total entrants. Analysis of the supply and demand of the human resources market in the fourth quarter of 2017 in Ziyang shows that occupations that need talent most include the following: turner, welder, housekeeping, etc. However, Ziyang secondary TVET schools have not offered such specialties and have instead opted to continue offering the traditional popular courses. There is need to TVET to undergo reform of the curriculum, review of qualification standards, provide accreditation and assessment system, teacher and TVET management capacity development to ensure the overall relevance of secondary TVET in Ziyang.

1. Effectiveness

25. The secondary TVET schools in Ziyang have trained a large number of graduates and provided many services. In 2017, 12,239 graduated from these secondary TVET schools in Ziyang. During the same year, Ziyang secondary TVET schools provided a number of services, including providing skills training for 722 employees from enterprises, 71 vulnerable and with disabled students, 170 unemployed people, 624 peasant workers, 92 retired soldiers, etc. 1 Although these Ziyang schools have cultivated some talents, only about 30% of TVET graduates were able to get local employment. Secondary TVET schools have been ineffective in responding to the growing labor market needs due to industrialization. The following figure shows that majority of graduates seek employment outside Ziyang. Hence, the Ziyang Municipality outsources its human resource requirements from neighboring provinces and districts.

1 Ziyang Municipal Education and Sports Bureau. 11

Figure 9: Employment Profile of Graduates—Ziyang Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training Schools 2500 30%

25% 2000

20% 1500 15% 1000 10%

500 5%

0 0% 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

local employment nonlocal employment % of local employment

26. Similarly, the employment situation of graduates in Ziyang TVET center compares to the entire municipality, with 30% of its graduates getting local employment, and 70% outside Ziyang. The details are shown in the following figure.

Figure 10: Employment Places of Graduates from the Ziyang Technical and Vocational Education and Training Center 800 31.0%

700 30.8% 30.8%

600 30.6%

500 30.4%

400 30.2% 30.1% 300 30.0% 30.0% 30.0% 29.9% 200 29.8%

100 29.6%

0 29.4% 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

local employment nonlocal employment % of local employment

27. Among the secondary vocational school graduates in Ziyang, there are very few students who were able to go to higher education institutes. For most students, secondary TVET has not effective in this aspect.

Figure 11: Comparison of Employment and Graduates Pursing Higher Education

Secondary TVET graduates' comparison: number of employment and continuing to study in higher ed. 3500 14% 3000 13% 12% 2500 10% 10% 2000 8% 8% 7% 1500 5% 6% 1000 4% 500 2% 0 0% 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

employment continue to study in higher Edu % of graduates continuing to sduty in higher Edu.

2. Efficiency

a. Fast Change in Specialties Offering

28. TVET schools in Ziyang have numerous courses with few enrollment, resulting in adhoc cancellations of course offerings (e.g., comprehensive management of rural economy). This situation is indicative of the lack of planning and direction of TVET schools, indicating low efficiency of TVET. Sporadic changes in TVET courses offered indicate the lack of labor market information to guide the direction of skills offerings at the institutions.

b. Low Technical and Vocational Education and Training Enrolment

29. Secondary TVET schools in Ziyang currently offer 24 specialties; but for many of the courses, enrollment is quite low. For instance, 2017 enrolment figures indicate that a few courses have total enrolment ranging from 1 to 20 students (e.g., rural comprehensive economic management, machinery manufacturing technology, and agricultural machinery usage and maintenance). For the Ziyang TVET Center, enrollment trends for the last 5 years has shown that entrants for few courses have likewise been low.

Table 16: Number of Entrants and Full-Time Teachers in Ziyang Technical and Vocational Education and Training Center Automobile manufacture and maintenance Computer Full-time Year Entrants teachers Entrants Full-time teachers 2013 36 8 0 0 2014 22 9 0 0 2015 63 9 33 10 2016 67 10 27 17 2017 39 9 28 17 13

3. Impact and Sustainability

30. Due to the aforementioned, the sustainable development of TVET in Ziyang is facing the following challenges.

a. Decline in Secondary Vocational Education School Enrollment

31. The entrants of secondary vocational education in Ziyang had fallen from 16,311 in 2013 to 9,620 in 2017. In 2017, the ratio between TVET and general senior high school dropped to 48.03:51.97 in 2017. The main reasons of this decline include the following main reasons: First, the decline in the population of the PRC has led to a decrease school age population. Ziyang has faced the same situation. In line with the trend of population decline, the number of students in vocational schools also declined. Second, bigger percentage of junior secondary schools’ graduates chose to go to general senior secondary schools due to the historical culture of the PRC. In year 2017. Ziyang enrolled 14,300 students in general senior secondary schools, but secondary TVET schools just enrolled 9,620 entrants. Third, there were quality issues in in Ziyang, due to the inadequate facilities, TVET teachers’ lack of industrial experience, and outdated curriculum not meeting the needs of enterprises, etc.

Figure 12: Population under 18 years of Age in Ziyang

1200000

1000000 964051 956575 952522 932604

800000

660097 600000

400000

200000

0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Source: Ziyang annual statistics bureau

Figure 13: Number of Entrants in General Middle Schools

Number of entrants in General middle schools 70000

62826 61242 60000 58304 59408 50000 44895 40000

30000

20000

10000

0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Source: Ziyang annual statistics bureau

b. Decline in Entrants of Key Specialties of Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training 32. Construction engineering and its application is a key specialty in Yanjiang TVET high school. From 2013 to 2017, but the number of entrants declined from 226 in year 2013 to 41 in year 2017. Though there is a big demand on construction engineering and application, these course however have been unattractive for students due to the work environment and relatively low pay. Therefore, beside TVET quality, the situation of employment in construction is an important reason of the decline of entrants in construction specialty in secondary TVET schools in Ziyang.

IV. Analysis on the Problems of Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Ziyang A. Lack of Understanding of the Current Situation and the Needs of Skilled and Technical Talents

33. A survey found that key government departments in Ziyang are unaware of the current and projected labor market situation. Basic demographic and TVET information as well as labor market analysis is inadequate. The Ziyang human resource data available from relevant departments of the Ziyang municipal government (ZMG) needs collection and analysis. Statistical information and systems need to be strengthened to ensure availability of skilled and technical personnel for Ziyang’s industrial transformation.

B. Inadequate Cross-Sector Technical and Vocational Education and Training Coordination in the Cities

34. There is no systematic coordination mechanism at present in Ziyang to discuss important issues or problems at city level, which led to the establishment of a committee, led by the governor of Ziyang and composed of representatives of different departments of government, enterprises, TVET institutes, etc. To date, the municipal leaders have convened the relevant departments to discuss the issues on TVET. However, this has not been fully institutionalized in the ZMG. 15

C. Lack of Cooperation between Technical and Vocational Education and Training Schools and Enterprises

35. The enthusiasm of Ziyang enterprises to participate in TVET is not high. The enterprise has little investment in vocational education and has not fully participated in the process of training the talents of TVET schools. None of these enterprises have taken part in the management of important TVET affairs. Currently, enterprises engage TVET schools through provision of “Tailor- -Made Training” for personnel of such enterprises. Apprenticeship system has not yet been commenced on by TVET schools, except Yanjiang TVET school. The Education Guidance Committee of TVET has not been established. School enterprise cooperation is at present, arbitrary.

D. Unreasonable Structure of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Teachers

36. The structure of secondary vocational school teachers in Ziyang is irrational, which is mainly reflected in the following aspects: the proportion of teachers in cultural courses is too high, the proportion of teachers teaching specialty courses is too low, the proportion of dual qualified teachers is too low, and the number of part-time teachers is too small. General course teachers in Ziyang secondary vocational schools account for a high proportion of full-time teachers, and in recent years there has been a rising trend. In 2013, this proportion was 40%; and it rose to 41% in 2016 and continued to 46% in 2017.

37. Among the secondary teachers, the proportion of "Double Qualification Teachers" teachers was 14% in 2013 and 27% in 2017. Though it has a general trend of rising, it still does not meet the standards stipulated by the state which is 50%. In the secondary TVET schools of Ziyang, the number of part-time teachers is too small. There were only 22 in 2013, 32 in 2015 and 2016, and 28 in 2017. The proportion of part-time teachers accounted for less than 4% of the full- time teachers.

V. Opportunities for Ziyang Technical and Vocational Education and Training Center

A. Opportunities

1. Policy Requirements: Transformation and Upgrade

38. Although Ziyang has achieved great development in the "12th Five-Year" period, it’s facing lots of problems, such as city's total economic output is small, the per capita GDP is low, the income of urban and rural residents is not high, the industrial structure is not good, the low proportion of emerging industries is low, etc. In the future, Ziyang will stick to the principle of "transformation and upgrading". It will focus on industrial optimization and upgrading. Ziyang will carry out the following measures：to improve the development of leading industry--vehicle building industry, to make it become stronger; to improve the quality of advantageous industry-- food and medicine industry; to cultivate and develop new industries, and pay close attention to the construction of "one base and five centers"; continue to seize the opportunity to create trillions of electronic information industry in Chengdu and Chongqing to promote the development of electronic information industry. Finally, the traditional enterprises, such as food, textile, building materials and other traditional enterprises, should be deeply promoted to carry out the green transformation.

2. High Demand for Technical Skills in the Sichuan Ziyang High Technology Development Zone

39. The SZHTDZ established by Ziyang has introduced several enterprises, and it needs large number of skilled talents. The total number of enterprises in Ziyang high-technology industrial park is 135. Among them, the number of high-technology enterprises is nine; and the number of above scale enterprises is 64. The total number of employees in the park is 39,000, of which 17,284 are college graduates; and 21,716 are below college level. Among the above-scale enterprises, there are 36 build industry enterprises; four pharmaceutical industry enterprises; ten in food industry; 11 in home building materials industry; one in textile industry; and 20 in other industries.

3. Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training does not meet the needs of Ziyang's economic diversification

40. Due to the lack of information, comprehensive understanding of enterprises of the TVET sector in Ziyang is lacking. Moreover, coordination and partnerships with enterprises have been ineffective; hence, the labor market has not been unresponsive to the needs of enterprises and industry. Ziyang’s secondary TVET is unable to meet the needs of Ziyang transformation due to (i) the lack of specialty courses demanded by high technology industries characteristic of transformation and green development; (ii) the specialty course in Ziyang TVET center is primarily for pre-school education; and (iii) the TVET curriculum is outdated and not relevant to the new requirements for the green transformation.

B. Path Forward

41. The transformation and development of Ziyang has new requirements on technical skills talents in quantity and quality. To meet these needs, the Ziyang vocational education center needs a transition. To fulfill the successful transformation of Ziyang vocational education center, it should be demand oriented, student-centered, embodies the concept of lifelong education; To cultivate students, at the same time, to serve the society, and promote social green sustainable development; therefore, Ziyang needs to establish a coordinate system, TVET demand supply matching analysis system, vocational education specialty setting dynamic adjustment system, and to form the incentive mechanism for enterprises to participate in the TVET, to integrate resources, enhance the ability of teachers, and put the green concept into the curriculum, etc.

1. Accurate Positioning and Clear Direction of the Ziyang Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training School

42. As Ziyang’s municipal secondary TVET institution, Ziyang TVET center should serve Ziyang local economic development as its primary purpose. This TVET center should be occupation oriented, reflecting the concept of lifelong education, and promoting social transformation and sustainable green development. The Ziyang TVET center should combine students’ cultivation with the social service through migrant workers training, on-the-job training and entrepreneurship training, among others. Teaching, curriculum, and skills development should be occupation-oriented, competency-based, student-centered, with specialty offerings aligned to the specific needs of the labor market in Ziyang and surrounding areas. Located in Sichuan province, Ziyang TVET center is aimed to be a world-renowned TVET institution in the PRC; and projected to radiate through southern Sichuan and the Yangtze River economic belt.

2. Demand-Oriented Labor Market Information System for Technical and Vocational Education and Training

43. Propose to establish information system of labor demand and TVET supply to provide labor market demand information, analyze the matching situation between enterprises demand and TVET supply, and provide basis of specialties adjustment for TVET. The system should be established by the Ziyang municipal bureaus of human resources and social security and education and sports, with the participation by relevant departments.

3. To Strengthen Leadership and Establish Industry Partnerships with Ziyang Technical and Vocational Education and Training

44. Although the head of the city of Ziyang sometimes convened a meeting of the relevant departments to discuss the problem of vocational education. However, this kind of meeting has not formed a system, and it is not systematic to understand and solve the problem of vocational education. It is suggested to establish system of Ziyang TVET department liaison meeting, which city mayor is responsible for the system, and composed of delegates from departments of reform and development, finance, education, human resources, and other related departments. Regular meetings should be are held to discuss the key and difficult problems faced by vocational education and form a solution. If it is necessary, the representatives of other relevant departments may be invited to participate in the meeting.

4. To Adjust Dynamically and Build Specialty Clusters to Serve for Local Economic Development

45. In 2017, secondary vocational education schools in Ziyang offered 24 specialties, and there were problems of decentralization of specialties offering and no outstanding advantages specialties. Some specialties that serve local economic development have not been well built. In some key areas of industries in Ziyang, secondary vocational education schools have not set up relevant specialties. Ziyang TVET specialties setting structure should be adjusted based on Ziyang’s Thirteenth Five-Year Plan 2016–2020, and high technology park development plan, the situation analysis of main industries, and other industry and labor market studies, the following specialty clusters are proposed for TVET in Ziyang: (i) Education cluster. Include pre-school education, leisure sports service and management. (ii) Services cluster. Include aviation service and management, tourism service and management, and age care and baby care, etc. (iii) Automotive cluster. Include automobile manufacturing and maintenance, vehicle application and maintenance. (iv) Computer cluster. Include e-commerce professional, logistics service and management, etc.

46. To make the above specialties cluster could match the demand of enterprises, it is suggested to establish a specialty guidance committee led by the leading enterprises in the industry (e.g., Sichuan modern and Nanjun automobile company could lead the establishment of an automotive cluster).

5. To Implement School Enterprise Cooperation Mechanism in Technical and Vocational Education and Training

47. The method of promoting school enterprise cooperation in vocational schools has been implemented in March 2018. Mechanisms to implement the rules for Ziyang to implement the measures for promoting school enterprise cooperation in TVET. Such measures may include: hiring of industry experts for competency-based curriculum and materials development and teacher training; enterprise-based training for TVET teachers; student apprenticeship programs; partnerships in provision of specialty courses for employees, etc.

6. To Develop Green Skills and Integrate Green Ideas into the Course Content

48. The outline of the PRC’s Thirteenth Five-Year Plan 2016–2020 emphasizes green transformation for the country’s sustainable development. The strategy of the development of the Yangtze River economic belt is ecological priority and green development, emphasizing protection and not making great development. Vocational education as one of the close links to economic development, it is necessary to integrate green concept into vocational education teaching content and develop students' green skills. To develop green skills, it is necessary to integrate the general content of green skills into the teaching goals of TVET. The general content of green skills include: (i) resource saving; (ii) waste reduction; (iii) classification of life and work related waste; (iv) proper usage and maintenance of equipment; (v) following safety operation procedure; (vi) implementation of occupation health safety and environmental health system; (vii) judgment of the work or equipment problems and prevention of accident; (viii) integrity of work; (ix) application of information technology or intelligent equipment; (x) application of health and safety, energy saving technology or equipment; (xi) providing green services, green concept and knowledge; and (xii) publicity. Green skills should be a TVET students' basic requirement, and green skills development should become teaching focus of TVET. Based on this concept, the teaching programs and courses of vocational education should be updated. It’s necessary to improve the awareness and ability of TVET teachers to develop green skills.

7. To Integrate Resources and Strengthen the Cooperation within and outside Ziyang

49. There are seven secondary vocational schools in Ziyang, and about 24 specialties are currently being offered. Several schools have the same or similar specialties, and some TVET specialties’ enrolment is quite small. Ziyang TVET resources should be integrated and focused on specific specialties. For example, we can integrate resources and establish automobile specialties cluster. There are six vocational schools in Ziyang are offering car manufacturing and maintenance specialty; four TVET schools are offering computer applications specialty; two TVET schools offer pre-school specialty, and four TVET schools offer e-commerce specialty. It is proposed that the resources of the same specialty be integrated, including teachers, equipment, courses, teaching materials, and the partnerships with industry. Therefore, to make the specialty of Ziyang vocational education center could reach national standard of specialty setting.

8. To Improve Technical and Vocational Education and Training Teachers’ Professionalization

50. Many teachers in Ziyang TVET center are general course teachers, and most of the full- time teachers are teaching educational courses. The construction of the new vocational education center requires the transformation of teachers and the promotion of teachers' professional ability, including the following two aspects: 19

(i) Technical and vocational education and training reform and capacity development. It includes the reform of TVET by modernizing vocational education (career oriented, student centered, competency-based, industry led, lifelong learning), TVET and methods (occupation analysis, curriculum development, teaching evaluation, quality assurance, etc.).

(ii) Priority specialty course development and teacher training. Development of competency-based curriculum, review of skills standards, training of TVET teachers, hiring of industry experts to develop curriculum and conduct teacher training; cooperation with enterprises, and conduct enterprise training and apprenticeship.

(iii) Rationalize technical and vocational education and training teachers’ structure. Increase the proportion of full-time teachers, double teachers and part- time teachers; improve the proportion of part-time teachers in professional class teachers. By 2020, the proportion of professional and part-time teachers with practical experience accounted for more than 60% of the total number of professional teachers.

Appendix 1: Problem Tree of the Ziyang Technical and Vocational Education and Training

Could not meet the requirement for Problem development

Limited access to Nonlocal Specialties change Specialties structure higher education Entrants decline employment high fast Aspects of Problems Institute

Lack of Main Reasons of Weak capability coordination and Basic condition communication Problems system

Lack of system Lack of sectors Aspects of Lack of industrial design of VET communication 等等 guidance bodies cooperation with system Problems enterprises