Work-Based Learning in China
The actual VET policy in China is followed by three strategies to embed work-based learning at schools: alternating duality, establishing vocational training centres and school-based practice companies. Each of these strategies requires more intense coope
- PDF / 216,719 Bytes
- 14 Pages / 439.36 x 666.15 pts Page_size
- 73 Downloads / 189 Views
Work-Based Learning in China Ludger Deitmer, Joanna Burchert, and Xu Han
Introduction Because of the dominant orientation of parents towards higher education, the academic track in China is dominating upper educational system. In respect to that, consequently the vocational track was falling behind. This development is changing at the moment, and VET is receiving higher attention at the side of the government. Also under a formal perspective, the vocational track has become in 2002 a politically accepted system pillar. But still, vocational education in China has a clear focus on full-time schooling and tremendous deficits on work-related skills and knowledge. The students spend too much time in the ‘magic triangle’: the class room, the in-service training laboratories and in the boarding house. Nowadays, increasing attention is brought up towards students’ presence in enterprises. The main focus of the current Chinese vocational education reform is to improve embedding work-based learning in the VET System. The background of these efforts is the increasing demand for better-skilled workers. There is rising need for worker who can take part in different stages of the production process. This means the inclusion of them with control and planning of their own work tasks. But such kind of teachers cannot be taught in traditional, teacher-centred teaching style and within schools who do not cooperate with their school environment, primarily to companies. Under Chinese experts, it is known that this can be best learned in a
L. Deitmer () • J. Burchert Institut Technik & Bildung (ITB), Universit¨at Bremen, Am Fallturm 1, D- 28359 Bremen, Germany e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] X. Han Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China e-mail: [email protected] L. Deitmer et al. (eds.), The Architecture of Innovative Apprenticeship, Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Issues, Concerns and Prospects 18, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-5398-3 8, © Springer ScienceCBusiness Media Dordrecht 2013
115
116
L. Deitmer et al.
real production environment. This would mean such an environment which allows learning alongside customer orders. In the following, we enrol three pathways to connect working and learning better.
Three Paths Connecting Work and Learning in Chinese VET Looking at the embedding of the didactic principle of a work-process-oriented vocational education in the Chinese system, three trends can be distinguished: alternating duality, establishing vocational training centres and ‘production schools’ or school-based practice companies.
Alternating Duality The Chinese model of an alternating dual VET system in vocational schools1 is characterised by two years of theoretical learning in vocational schools which are followed by one year of on-the-job training. The educational responsibility for the adjustment (on-the-job training) to the aspired profession lies at the vocational schools. Consequently, tuition fees have to be paid continuously (also in the 3rd year of vocational training
Data Loading...
