Upgrade vocational training.

The most recent China Talent Development Report noted that the country is short of “tens of millions” of senior technicians— precisely the kind of people needed to improve manufacturing productivity. “On the one hand,” the report concluded, “a large number of fresh graduates find it difficult to find a job. On the other hand, enterprises are more and more demanding for skilled workers, and structural labor shortages are increasingly prominent.”(https://www.daowen.com)

While China has invested in vocational training, more will be needed to fill the looming skills gap. Part of this will require persuading students, and their aspiring parents, that college is not the only path to prosperity. A good example, according to the World Bank, comes from South Korea, where the emphasis has also traditionally been on going to university. In response,the country is trying to create prestige for high-skill vocations. Beginning in 2010, the government opened specialized “Meister” vocational schools for high-demand, fast-changing sectors such as robotics and construction management. These schools — there are now about 50 of them — have proved successful in terms of both attracting students and satisfying employers. The Meister schools appeal to students (and their families) because they are prestigious in their own way. They are supported by the state, but the schools work closely with industry partners on curriculum development and graduates are guaranteed jobs.