By CN-VE INSTITUE

1. Overall Scale and Growth Trends

According to the Ministry of Education’s 2023 statistics, the number of full-time international students in vocational colleges nationwide reached 23,000, representing a 65% increase from 2020. Among them, higher vocational colleges received 18,000 international students, accounting for 78.3% of the total; secondary specialized schools received 5,000 students, accounting for 21.7%. The annual growth rate remains at 15-20%, higher than the growth rate of international students in regular higher education institutions.

From a temporal perspective, the number of international students in vocational colleges was only 6,000 in 2015, exceeded 10,000 in 2018, reached 18,000 in 2021, and surpassed 20,000 in 2023, showing an accelerating growth trend. It is projected that by 2025, the number of international students in vocational colleges will reach 50,000, and their proportion of the total number of international students in China will increase from the current 5% to approximately 12%.

2. Regional Distribution Characteristics

The distribution of international students shows obvious regional clustering characteristics. Jiangsu Province leads the nation with absolute advantage, receiving approximately 4,000 international students in 2023, accounting for 17.4% of the national total. Jiangsu’s success factors include: first, a strong industrial foundation that provides abundant internship and employment opportunities for international students; second, strong policy support, with the provincial government allocating 50 million yuan annually in special funds to support vocational education internationalization; third, high enthusiasm among institutions, with over 90% of higher vocational colleges conducting international student education.

Zhejiang Province follows closely, receiving approximately 3,500 international students, accounting for 15.2%. Leveraging its digital economy development advantages, Zhejiang focuses on cultivating talents in emerging fields such as cross-border e-commerce and digital technology. Guangdong Province receives approximately 3,000 international students, accounting for 13.0%, mainly targeting Southeast Asian countries, leveraging geographical advantages and cultural similarities. Shandong Province receives approximately 2,500 international students, accounting for 10.9%, focusing on characteristic specialties such as modern agriculture and marine engineering.

3. Institutional Distribution Pattern

From the institutional level, enrollment scale presents a “pyramid” distribution. At the top are international demonstration institutions, such as Tianjin Vocational Institute, Shenzhen Polytechnic, and Nanjing Vocational University of Industry Technology, with annual enrollment exceeding 500 students. These institutions generally have the following characteristics: first, they are selected for the “Double High Plan” with strong educational strength; second, they have rich international cooperation experience and specialized international education colleges; third, their professional settings are highly matched with industrial needs.

The middle layer consists of regional characteristic institutions, such as Wuxi Vocational and Technical College, Ningbo Vocational and Technical College, and Guangzhou Panyu Polytechnic, with annual enrollment of 200-500 students. These institutions rely on regional industrial advantages and have formed brand effects in specific fields. The base layer comprises most higher vocational colleges, with annual enrollment of 50-200 students, mainly conducting international student education through inter-institutional cooperation and government projects.

4. Professional Structure Analysis

The professional settings of vocational colleges for international students closely align with the national “Belt and Road” construction and international production capacity cooperation needs. Engineering and technology majors dominate, accounting for 42.3% of total enrollment. Among them, mechatronics technology, automotive inspection and maintenance technology, and construction engineering technology are the three most popular majors.

Information technology majors are rapidly developing, accounting for 28.7% of the total. With the global development of the digital economy, majors such as computer application technology, software technology, and big data technology are in high demand. Particularly, the rise of cross-border e-commerce majors entered the top ten enrollment scales for the first time in 2023, reflecting changes in the global trade pattern.

Business and service majors maintain stable development, accounting for 18.5% of the total. Traditional advantageous majors such as e-commerce, logistics management, and hotel management continue to be popular. Notably, as Chinese enterprises accelerate their “going global” pace, the demand for localized management talents has increased, and enrollment in majors such as business administration and marketing has grown.

5. Emerging Major Cultivation

Facing future development needs, vocational colleges are actively cultivating emerging majors. New energy vehicle technology has become the fastest-growing major, with enrollment increasing by 120% in 2023 compared to 2022. This is mainly due to China’s global leading position in the new energy vehicle industry and the rapid development of new energy vehicle markets in countries along the “Belt and Road”.

Intelligent manufacturing technology, industrial robot technology, and other intelligent manufacturing majors have received widespread attention. With the acceleration of digital transformation in manufacturing, the demand for related technical talents has surged. Majors in the medical and health field, such as nursing and rehabilitation therapy technology, have maintained steady growth in response to the global aging trend.

6. Characteristic Professional Clusters

Various provinces have formed distinctive professional clusters by combining industrial advantages. Jiangsu Province focuses on building three major professional clusters: intelligent manufacturing, electronic information, and modern service industry. Among them, majors such as microelectronics technology at Suzhou Industrial Park Vocational and Technical College and Internet of Things application technology at Wuxi Vocational and Technical College have international influence.

Leveraging the development of the digital economy, Zhejiang Province has formed characteristic professional groups in digital economy, cross-border e-commerce, and smart logistics. Majors such as port logistics management at Ningbo Vocational and Technical College and internet finance at Zhejiang Financial Vocational College directly serve the trade facilitation of the “Belt and Road”.

Guangdong Province leverages its manufacturing advantages to focus on cultivating professional clusters in intelligent manufacturing, new energy vehicles, and industrial design. Majors such as communication technology at Shenzhen Polytechnic and jewelry technology and management at Guangzhou Panyu Polytechnic enjoy high reputation in Southeast Asian countries.

7. Student Source Region Structure

The source regions of vocational colleges’ overseas enrollment show diversified characteristics but are mainly concentrated in countries along the “Belt and Road”. Southeast Asia is the absolute main force, accounting for 45% of the total, with Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia having the highest proportions. These countries have close economic and trade relations with China, strong demand for technical and skilled talents, and cultural similarities that make students highly adaptable.

Africa is experiencing rapid growth, accounting for 25% of the total, an increase of 8 percentage points from 2020. Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt are the main source countries. The education cooperation plan under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation framework has played an important role, and the “China-Africa Vocational Education Alliance” has attracted more than 100 Chinese and African institutions to participate.

Central Asia accounts for 15% of the total, with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan being the main source countries. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization education cooperation mechanism has facilitated students from this region to study in China. Russia, Mongolia, Pakistan, and other regions account for 15% of the total. These countries have become important partners in China’s vocational education due to geographical advantages or traditional friendship.

8. Student Characteristics Analysis

In terms of age structure, vocational college international students are mainly recent high school graduates aged 18-25, accounting for 65%. In-service personnel over 25 years old account for 25%, mainly technical backbones or management personnel dispatched by enterprises. Particularly noteworthy is that with the promotion of the “Chinese + Vocational Skills” program, the proportion of secondary vocational students aged 16-18 has increased to 10%.

In terms of educational background, students with high school or equivalent education account for 70%, mainly pursuing junior college level education. Students with junior college or bachelor’s degrees account for 20%, mainly pursuing undergraduate level vocational education or short-term skills training. In-service personnel with work experience account for 10%, mainly participating in customized training programs.

In terms of learning objectives, employment orientation is obvious, with 85% of students hoping to work in Chinese enterprises or Chinese-funded enterprises in their home countries after graduation. Students with entrepreneurship orientation account for 10%, mainly studying majors with low entrepreneurship thresholds such as e-commerce and catering management. Students with academic advancement orientation account for 5%, planning to continue pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees in China.

9. Enrollment Channel Optimization

Vocational colleges continuously optimize enrollment channels, forming a diversified enrollment network. Government-to-government cooperation projects are the most stable channel, accounting for 35% of total enrollment. Government cooperation mechanisms such as the “China-Africa Vocational Education Cooperation Plan” and “China-ASEAN Education Exchange Week” provide stable student sources for vocational colleges.

Inter-institutional cooperation channels are rapidly developing, accounting for 30% of the total. Vocational colleges establish cooperative relationships with foreign institutions and attract students through credit recognition and joint training. The advantage of this channel is relatively high student quality and controllable training process.

Market-oriented enrollment channels are becoming increasingly mature, accounting for 25% of the total. Vocational colleges directly recruit students through participating in international education exhibitions, establishing overseas enrollment agents, and conducting online publicity. This method is highly flexible but costly, requiring institutions to have strong international marketing capabilities.

Enterprise-customized channels account for 10% of the total, mainly as Chinese enterprises “go global” and entrust vocational colleges to cultivate localized technical and skilled talents. The characteristic of this channel is strong training program pertinence and guaranteed student employment.

10. Tianjin Vocational Institute: Benchmark Practice of Luban Workshops

As a pioneer in the internationalization of Chinese vocational education, Tianjin Vocational Institute’s experience has important reference significance. Since 2016, the institute has established Luban Workshops in Thailand, India, Indonesia, and other countries, cultivating more than 5,000 localized technical and skilled talents. The Thailand Luban Workshop, featuring new energy technology, cooperates with multiple Thai technical colleges to offer majors such as new energy vehicle technology and photovoltaic power generation technology, with a 95% employment rate for graduates in Chinese enterprises in the Thailand-China Rayong Industrial Park.

The institute innovates the “Chinese + Vocational Skills” training model, organically combining Chinese language teaching with professional skills training. While learning professional skills, students master basic Chinese communication abilities, laying the foundation for employment in Chinese-funded enterprises. This model has been promoted nationwide by the Ministry of Education as a typical experience.

11. Shenzhen Polytechnic: International Sample of Industry-Education Integration

Leveraging Shenzhen’s high-tech industry advantages, Shenzhen Polytechnic has created an international talent training model integrating industry and education. The college has deep cooperation with leading enterprises such as Huawei, ZTE, and BYD to cultivate talents in communication technology, new energy vehicles, intelligent manufacturing, and other fields for Southeast Asian countries.

The college innovates the “dual-subject” training model of “school-enterprise cooperation,” with enterprises deeply participating in the entire talent training process. Characteristic industry colleges such as Huawei Technical College and BYD Automotive College have achieved seamless connection between talent training and enterprise needs. In 2023, the college enrolled 800 international students, 60% of whom came from Southeast Asian partners of enterprises such as Huawei and ZTE.

12. Nanjing Vocational University of Industry Technology: Explorer of Standard Export

As China’s first public vocational undergraduate institution, Nanjing Vocational University of Industry Technology has actively explored the internationalization of vocational education standards. The university has led the formulation of international teaching standards for majors such as mechatronics technology and automotive inspection and maintenance technology, which have been adopted by countries such as Indonesia and Thailand.

The university has established an integrated export model of “professional standards + curriculum standards + teaching resources,” providing Chinese solutions for the development of vocational education in countries along the “Belt and Road”. The university cooperates with the Cambodia National Technical Training Institute to help it establish automotive maintenance majors, providing comprehensive support from major setting and curriculum development to teacher training.