Sino-German Dialogue Forum on Vocational Education and Employment

In the course of China's growth and its shift towards a more diversified economy, the demand for skilled workers has grown rapidly. To address this need, China has embarked on developing a modern vocational education system to improve the quality of the country's vast labour force and increase employment. The German model of vocational education is recognised for its high international standard and serves as one of a number of examples in China's reform and Germany is eager to share its experience to support this process. In order to provide a platform for dialogue and exchange of knowledge and practical experience on this topic, the KfW Development Bank commissioned adelphi with the design, organisation, and implementation of the international conference "Sino-German Dialogue Forum on Vocational Education and Employment".

The conference hosted by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China took place on 16 September 2014 in Beijing. Major themes of the conference included the opportunities and challenges of demand-driven and labour-market oriented education such as public-private-partnership approaches and different forms of cooperation between educational institutions and the private sector. The conference further explored financing options for vocational education, and expanded using Chinese and German best practice examples.