Vocational Education Law of the People's Republic of China (2022 Revision)

Vocational Education Law of the People's Republic of China (2022 Revision)

Order of the President of the People's Republic of China
(No. 112)
The Vocational Education Law of the People's Republic of China, as revised and adopted at the 34th Session of the Standing Committee of the Thirteenth National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China on April 20, 2022, is hereby issued, and shall come into force on May 1, 2022.

Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China
April 20, 2022

Vocational Education Law of the People's Republic of China
(Adopted at the 19th Session of the Standing Committee of the Eighth National People's Congress on May 15, 1996, and revised at the 34th Session of the Standing Committee of the Thirteenth National People's Congress on April 20, 2022)

Table of Contents
Chapter I General Provisions
Chapter II Vocational Education System
Chapter III Provision of Vocational Education
Chapter IV Vocational Schools and Vocational Training Institutions
Chapter V Teachers and Educatees in Vocational Education
Chapter VI Guarantees of Vocational Education
Chapter VII Legal Liability
Chapter VIII Supplemental Provisions

Chapter I General Provisions

Article 1 For the purposes of boosting the high-quality development of vocational education, improving the quality and technical skills of workers, promoting employment and entrepreneurship, building a strong country in education and human resources and a skill-oriented society, and advancing socialist modernization, this Law is enacted in accordance with the Constitution.

Article 2 For the purpose of this Law, "vocational education" means education provided in order to train high-quality technical and skilled talents and equip educatees with the professional ethics, scientific, cultural and professional knowledge, technical skills and other comprehensive professional qualities and ability to act required for practicing a certain profession or achieving career development, including vocational school education and vocational training.
Specialized training provided by authorities and public institutions for their employees shall be governed by separate laws and administrative rules and regulations.

Article 3 Vocational education is a type of education different from and in an important position equal with regular education, an important constituent of the national education system and human resource development, and an important means to train diverse talents, pass on technical skills, and promote employment and entrepreneurship.
The State vigorously undertakes the development of vocational education, and promotes its reform so as to improve its quality, enhance the adaptability of vocational education, institute and perfect the system of vocational education that meets the needs for development of the socialist market economy and society and conforms to the laws of growth of technical and skilled talents, and provide strong talent and technical support for comprehensively building a modern socialist country.

Article 4 In the provision of vocational education, the leadership of the Communist Party of China ("CPC") shall be adhered to, the path of socialist education shall be adhered to, the state's educational principles shall be implemented, moral and professional education and studying both morality and skills shall be adhered to, the integration of industries and education and the cooperation between schools and enterprises shall be adhered to, an orientation towards the market and the promotion of employment shall be adhered to, an orientation towards practice and strengthening capability shall be adhered to, and an orientation towards people and individualized teaching shall be adhered to.
In the provision of vocational education, the core socialist values shall be advocated, ideological and political education and the education about professional ethics shall be provided, the spirit of model workers, labor spirit, and craftsmanship shall be cultivated, science, culture, and professional knowledge shall be imparted, technical skills shall be developed, and vocational guidance shall be provided, so as to enhance the qualities of educatees in an all-round way.

Article 5 Citizens shall have the right to receive vocational education according to the law.

Article 6 For vocational education, overall planning by the government, hierarchical management, dependence on local resources, industries' guidance, cooperation between schools and enterprises, and participation of the private sector shall be implemented.

Article 7 The people's governments at various levels shall incorporate the development of vocational education into their national economic and social development plans for holistic arrangement and overall implementation with the promotion of employment, entrepreneurship, and the boosting of the transformation of development mode, the adjustment of industrial structure, and technological optimization and upgrading, among others.

Article 8 The State Council shall establish a vocational education work coordination mechanism to overall coordinate the national vocational education work.
The education administrative department of the State Council shall be responsible for the overall planning, comprehensive coordination and macro-management of vocational education. The education administrative department, the human resources and social security administrative department and other relevant departments of the State Council shall, within their respective functions and responsibilities defined by the State Council, be responsible for the different aspects of vocational education.
The people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall strengthen leadership to vocational education in their respective administrative areas, specify the responsibilities of the people's governments of districted cities and counties for the specific work of vocational education, overall coordinate the development of vocational education, and organize supervision, guidance and assessment.
The relevant departments of the local people's governments at or above the county level shall strengthen communication and cooperation and jointly advance vocational education work.

Article 9 The state shall encourage the development of multiple levels and forms of vocational education, advance diversified education, and support sectors of society in extensive and equal participation in vocational education.
The state shall maximize the role of enterprises as important education providers, prompt enterprises to participate in vocational education in depth, and encourage enterprises to provide high-quality vocational education.
Relevant industry departments, trade unions, the China Vocational Education Association, and other mass organizations, industry organizations, enterprises, and public institutions shall, in accordance with the law, fulfill their obligations to provide vocational education and participate in, support, or provide vocational education.

Article 10 The state shall adopt measures to vigorously develop technical education and comprehensively improve the qualities of industrial workers.
The state shall adopt measures to support vocational education oriented to rural areas, organize agricultural skills training, entrepreneurship and employment training for homecomers, and vocational skills training, and train high-quality talents in rural revitalization.
The state shall adopt measures to support the development of vocational education in old revolutionary base areas, ethnic minority areas, remote areas, and underdeveloped areas.
The state shall adopt measures to arrange for various types of transferred, reemployed and unemployed persons and special groups, among others, to accept various forms of vocational education, and support the development of vocational education for the disabled.
The state shall guarantee women's equal right to receive vocational education.

Article 11 For the provision of vocational education, education standards or training plans shall be formulated to meet the needs of economic and social development, in light of occupational classification, occupational standards, and occupational development needs, subject to the systems of academic diploma and other academic certificates, training certificates, vocational qualification certificates and vocational skills level certificates.
The state practices a system whereby workers receive the necessary vocational education prior to employment or assignment.

Article 12 The state shall adopt measures to improve the social status and treatment of technical and skilled talents and promote the customs of the era honoring working, cherishing skills, and valuing creation.
The state commends and awards units and individuals that have made outstanding achievements in vocational education work in accordance with relevant provisions.
The second week of May every year shall be the Vocational Education Week.

Article 13 The state shall encourage foreign exchange and cooperation in the field of vocational education, support the introduction of high-quality overseas resources for the development of vocational education, encourage vocational education institutions with good conditions to provide education overseas, and support the various forms of mutual recognition of the results of receiving vocational education.

Chapter II Vocational Education System

Article 14 The state shall establish and improve a modern vocational education system meeting the needs of economic and social development, deeply integrating industries with education, equally emphasizing vocational school education and vocational training, achieving convertibility between vocational education and regular education, effectively integrating different levels of vocational education, serving the lifelong learning of each person.
The state shall optimize educational structure, scientifically allocate educational resources, and overall advance the coordinated development of vocational education and regular education at different stages after compulsory education based on local conditions.

Article 15 Vocational school education shall be divided into secondary and tertiary vocational school education.
Secondary vocational school education shall be provided by secondary vocational schools (including technical schools) at the advanced level of secondary education.
Tertiary vocational school education shall be provided by tertiary vocational school and regular higher education institutions at or above the levels of junior college education and regular course education. According to the provisions on the structure of tertiary vocational schools, eligible technician colleges shall be classified into the class of tertiary vocational schools.
Other schools, education institutions, or eligible enterprises and industry organizations may provide corresponding levels of vocational school education or courses for credit included in talent training plans in accordance with the overall planning of education administrative departments.

Article 16 Vocational training pre-employment training, on-the-job training, re-employment training, and other vocational training, may be provided by grade and class according to actual conditions.
Vocational training may be provided by the appropriate vocational training institutions and/or vocational schools.
Other schools or education institutions, enterprises and social organizations may provide various forms of vocational training for the society in accordance with the law according to their capability to provide education and social needs.

Article 17 The state shall establish and improve a mechanism for certification, accumulation and conversion of credits, qualifications and other learning outcomes in various school education and vocational training, and advance the building of a national credit bank for vocational education, so as to promote the convertibility between and mutual recognition of learning outcomes in vocational education and regular education.
Military vocational skill levels shall be incorporated into the national vocational qualification certification and vocational skill level evaluation system.

Article 18 Vocational education for the disabled shall be provided by education institutions for the disabled, and in addition, various vocational schools, vocational training institutions and other institutions of education at different levels shall accept disabled students in accordance with the relevant provisions issued by the state, strengthen the creation of a barrier-free environment for students with disabilities, and provide necessary assistance and convenience for their study and life.
The state shall adopt measures to support education institutions for the disabled, vocational schools, vocational training institutions and other education institutions in providing vocational education for the disabled independently or jointly.
Special education teachers engaged in vocational education for the disabled may enjoy special education benefits in accordance with provisions.

Article 19 The education administrative departments of people's governments at or above the county level shall encourage regular primary and secondary schools and regular higher education institutions to add courses in relation to vocational education as actually needed and offer support, provide vocational enlightenment, vocational awareness, and vocational experience, offer career coaching and labor education, and arrange for and direct vocational schools, vocational training institutions, enterprises and industry organizations, among others, to provide conditions and support.

Chapter III Provision of Vocational Education

Article 20 The education administrative department of the State Council shall, in conjunction with relevant departments, organize the formulation and revision of a catalog of programs of study in vocational education, improve teaching and other standards for vocational education, and provide macro management of and guidance on the compilation of vocational school textbooks, in order to suit the needs of economic and social development and the characteristics of vocational education.

Article 21 The local people's governments at or above the county level shall form or participate in the formation of vocational schools and vocational training institutions that play an exemplary role as the backbone, and provide guidance and support for vocational schools and vocational training institutions formed by sectors of society in accordance with the law.
The state shall adopt measures to vigorously develop emerging programs of study required by industries such as advanced manufacturing and support the construction of high-level vocational schools and programs of study, in order to meet the needs of industry layout and industry development.
The state shall adopt measures to accelerate the training of technical and skilled talents in childcare, nursing, health care and maintenance, housekeeping, and other aspects.

Article 22 The people's governments at the county level may form central schools of vocational education to provide various forms of vocational education and offer practical technical training, so as to meet the needs of county-wide economic and social development.
Education administrative departments may authorize central schools of vocational education to undertake guidance on education and teaching, education quality evaluation, teacher training and other public management and services in relation to vocational education.

Article 23 An industry department shall strengthen the guidance on vocational education to meet industry demand for talents, and regularly release information on demand for talents.
Industry departments, trade unions, the China Vocational Education Association, and other mass organizations and industry organizations may, as needed, participate in the formulation of a catalog of programs of study in vocational education and related standards for vocational education, provide forecasts for demand for talents, research on career development, and information consultation, cultivate industry and education integration serv......