Education ministry adds 27 vocational majors for emerging industries

The Ministry of Education announced the addition of 27 new higher education vocational majors to boost the high-skilled talent pool on Thursday, which will begin enrolling students in 2027.

The new programs include nine junior college vocational majors and 18 vocational undergraduate majors. The expansion aims to train high-skilled workers in new industries and focuses on building the modern industrial system and promoting the high-quality development of the service sector.

The key areas targeted include the digital economy, low-altitude economy, artificial intelligence, high-end equipment, urban renewal, and sectors with pressing livelihood needs.

In the services sector, new undergraduate majors such as technology brokerage services and low-altitude transport engineering technology have been introduced to help elevate industrial value chains.

Meanwhile, junior college majors — including infant family nurturing and guidance, and wellness tourism operations and management — have been added to address skill shortages.

To meet emerging industry demands, the ministry has introduced majors such as humanoid robot engineering technology, digital twin engineering technology, and vehicle-to-everything communication technology, responding to new occupations listed in the national occupational classification dictionary.

In the green energy sector, new programs include hydrogen energy engineering technology and energy storage material equipment intelligent maintenance technology.

Since the first release of the vocational education majors directory in 2021, China has cumulatively added 169 majors, accounting for 11 percent of the total directory.