CHINA
Upskilling / Reskilling in the Tourism Sector in China
Overview of VET System
Vocational Education System in China
The vocational education system is a subsystem of the national education system, aimed at providing students with vocational education and training so that they can directly enter the workforce after graduation. This system mainly consists of the following parts:
Vocational high school: provides vocational skills education and training for students, while also taking into account a certain level of basic education.
Technical schools: focus on cultivating students' practical operational skills, usually closely related to specific industries or professions.
Secondary vocational schools: cultivate secondary technical talents with professional knowledge and certain practical abilities.
Higher vocational and technical colleges: provide higher-level vocational and technical education, cultivate advanced technical talents and applied talents.
The vocational education system emphasizes the combination of theory and practice, and through curriculum design, training base construction, and other methods, enables students to have the ability to directly enter the workforce after graduation.
2) The vocational training system in China
is conducted outside the education system, aiming to enhance the vocational skills and employment competitiveness of workers. This system mainly consists of the following parts:
Government led vocational training institutions, such as technical schools and various vocational training institutions, receive guidance and supervision from the government and provide vocational skills training that meets market demand.
Internal training institutions within enterprises: Many large enterprises have their own training institutions that provide on-the-job training and skill enhancement courses for employees.
Social training institutions: including various private training institutions and online training platforms, they provide diverse vocational skills training programs to meet the needs of different learners.
The vocational training system has the characteristics of flexibility and strong pertinence, and can provide customized training programs according to market demand and the actual situation of workers. The training content usually includes pre employment training, job transfer training, apprenticeship training, and on-the-job training, aiming to help workers improve their vocational skills, achieve employment and career development.
3) The connection and difference between vocational education system and vocational training system
3.1) Connection:
Both are important components of national human resource development, jointly committed to enhancing the vocational skills and employment competitiveness of workers.
There is a certain overlap and complementarity between the two in terms of curriculum design and practical training base construction.
3.2) Difference:
The vocational education system mainly belongs to the formal school education system, focusing on academic education and basic skills training; The vocational training system is more flexible and diverse, emphasizing practical and targeted training.
The students in the vocational education system are usually students in school, while the students in the vocational training system are mainly laborers who have already been employed or hope to improve their vocational skills.
In summary, China's vocational education system and vocational training system together constitute an important system for the development of national human resources. The two are both interrelated and distinct, playing an important role in enhancing the vocational skills and employment competitiveness of workers.
Overview information about VET in China
- Market size
Due to a series of national encouragement measures providing a favorable policy environment for vocational education, coupled with increasingly fierce competition in the job market and the constantly changing demand for talent in the job market with technological progress and economic development, the vocational education market is experiencing unprecedented scale expansion.
In recent years, China's vocational education has vigorously promoted the application of modern information technology, making significant progress in the construction of information infrastructure, the development of digital education resources, personnel technical training, and the application of management systems. The construction of digital ecology has achieved positive results.
More than 90% of vocational schools have built smooth and fully functional campus networks; More than 85% of vocational schools have built digital campuses according to standards. A number of online course platforms were created,having established 203 national-level professional teaching resource libraries for vocational education, developed 992 high-quality video open courses covering 12 disciplines including arts, science, engineering, agriculture, and medicine, and 2886 national level high-quality resource sharing courses.
In 2022, China implemented the "Digital Education Strategy Action" and launched the National Vocational Education Smart Education Platform, which gathers 1,200 professional resource libraries, over 6,600 online quality courses, and more than 2,000 video open courses. Its users cover all provinces in China and it benefits more than 180 countries and regions.
- Supply situation
In 2022, there were a total of 7,201 secondary vocational schools in China. From the policies released in recent years, it can be seen that the government's policies for developing undergraduate vocational education have become increasingly clear and firm, and vocational undergraduate colleges have achieved positive and steady development. As of 2022, there are a total of 32 undergraduate vocational schools in China, an increase of 11 compared to 2020.
- Demand situation
China has built the world's largest vocational education system, with over 29.15 million students enrolled in vocational schools. At present, domestic vocational schools can cultivate about 10 million high-quality technical and skilled talents every year, and existing vocational schools carry out various types of training for hundreds of millions of people every year.
Since 2019, the number of undergraduate vocational schools and enrollment in China has been continuously increasing. As of 2022, the number of domestic vocational undergraduate enrollment is 41,400, an increase of 2,946 or 7.66% compared to the previous year. The "Skillful China Action Plan" issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security clearly requires an increase in the number of skilled talents during the 14th Five Year Plan period.
With the upgrading of industrial structure, China's demand for talents in technology-intensive fields such as new-generation information technology and new materials continues to increase. However, labor-intensive industries with low added values such as wholesale and retail, construction, etc. have slowed down their growth, resulting in an oversupply of labor and an urgent need to improve vocational skills. The dilemma of employment and recruitment in the labor market coexists, and vocational education faces a huge market demand.
Currently, there is a high demand in the labor market for professionals in the field of digital technology, and there is a severe shortage in supply of high-quality human resources. Therefore, the country regards vocational skills training as a key measure to maintain employment stability, alleviate structural employment contradictions, and important support for economic transformation, upgrading, and high-quality development.
Market Needs in Tourism Sector
1. Market needs in tourism sector in China
As one of the fastest-growing tourism markets in the global economy, China's tourism industry exhibits diversified and dynamic labor market demands. The following is a detailed insight into the current demand for skills and qualifications in China's tourism industry, as well as key areas where there is a shortage of professionals or new opportunities arise:
1、 Current skill and qualification requirements
1) Professional knowledge and skills
Tourism industry professionals need to master a wide range of industry knowledge, including knowledge of destinations, attractions, culture, history, geography, as well as information on the types of tourism products, service standards, industry regulations, competitors, and other aspects.
2) Good customer service skills include being good at listening to customer needs, proficient in using communication skills, able to handle complaints and disputes, able to provide personalized services, and able to respond to unexpected situations.
3) Teamwork and leadership skills, including the ability to maintain good communication with colleagues and superiors, coordinate resources and manpower, divide labor, take responsibility, and actively cooperate with teamwork.
4) Sales and marketing capabilities, including the ability to understand customer needs, develop sales strategies, develop customer resources, maintain customer relationships, and achieve sales goals.
5) The ability to adapt and solve problems, including the ability to quickly analyze problems, develop response strategies, adjust plans, respond to changes, and find solutions.
6) Innovation capability, including the ability to discover and explore customer needs, try new service methods, optimize processes and improve efficiency, develop innovative products, etc.
7) Language proficiency
The tourism industry is a multicultural industry, and employees need to have good language and cross-cultural communication skills, including the ability to communicate fluently in English and other major languages, understand cultural differences in different countries and regions, respect and adapt to customers' cultural habits, etc.
8) Professional certification
Having professional certifications can enhance employees' professional competence and competitiveness, such as international tourism management certification, tour guide qualification certificate, hotel management professional certification, etc.
2、 Key areas where there is a shortage of professionals or new opportunities arise
1) Tourism Management and Hotel Management Professionals
With the rapid development of the tourism industry, the demand for professional talents in tourism management, hotel management, and other fields is increasing day by day. However, the current decrease in the number of students majoring in tourism management and hotel management has led to a shortage of talent in the industry.
2) Digital and intelligent talents
With the advancement of technology, the application of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and AIGC is reshaping various aspects of human resource management, from recruitment, onboarding to interviews, AI technology is gradually penetrating them. Therefore, the demand for digital and intelligent talents in the tourism industry is constantly increasing.
3) Talents in the field of international tourism
With the increasing international influence of China and the opening and soaring popularity of outbound tourism, the demand for international tourism talents in the tourism industry is also constantly increasing, such as overseas tourism product managers, overseas tourism consultants, etc.
4) Personalized and customized service talents
The tourism industry is fiercely competitive and providing personalized and customized services has become a trend to attract and retain customers. Therefore, the demand for tourism professionals who can provide personalized services is constantly increasing.
5) Talents in second and third level cities and lower tier markets
In recent years, tourism consumption in second - and third tier cities and lower tier markets has grown rapidly, becoming a new tourism hotspot. Therefore, the demand for tourism professionals in these regions is constantly increasing.
In summary, the current demand for skills and qualifications in China's tourism industry presents a diversified and dynamic characteristic, with particularly urgent talent needs in areas such as tourism management and hotel management, digitalization and intelligence, international tourism direction, personalized and customized services, as well as second - and third tier cities and lower tier markets. Meanwhile, with the rapid development and transformation of the tourism industry, it will also provide more employment opportunities and development space for talents in these fields.
The existing training courses on tourism in the Chinese labor market mainly include the following categories:
1、 Fundamentals and Overview of Tourism Industry Course
2、 Innovation Course in Tourism Products and Services
- Tourism product design and development: covering the entire process of market research, product planning, product design, product trial production, product promotion, etc., cultivating students' - innovative thinking and product development abilities.
- Standardization and Personalization of Tourism Services: Explain the standardized operation process of tourism services, while emphasizing the importance of personalized services to improve the service quality and customer satisfaction of students.
3、 Tourism Marketing and Promotion Course, Online and Offline Marketing Promotion
4、 Course on Improving Tourism Service Quality and Management
Improvement of tourism service quality: Emphasize the importance of service quality in the tourism industry, introduce ways and methods to improve service quality, such as strengthening employee training, establishing service supervision mechanisms, etc.
Tourism Crisis Management and Emergency Response: Explain the basic concepts, principles, and processes of tourism crisis management to enhance students' ability to respond to emergencies and crises.
5、 Course on Legal Regulations and Professional Ethics in the Tourism Industry
6、 Specific job skills courses
- Professional ethics and skills of tour guides: Targeting the tour guide position, enhance students' professional ethics, skills in leading tours, and cross-cultural communication abilities.
- Standardized operation of hotel catering and accommodation services: Targeting positions such as hotels, catering, and accommodation, we aim to enhance students' ability to operate standardized services and improve service quality.
These courses aim to cultivate the professional competence and skill level of tourism industry practitioners and enhance the service quality and competitiveness of the tourism industry. Students can choose suitable courses for learning based on their job requirements and career development goals. Meanwhile, with the development and changes of the tourism industry, training courses will also be constantly updated and improved to adapt to new market demands and challenges.
