(Adopted at the 19th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Eighth National People’s Congress on May 15, 1996, and revised at the 34th Meeting 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 Implementation of Vocational Education

Chapter IV Vocational Schools and Vocational Training Institutions

Chapter V Teachers and Students of Vocational Education

Chapter VI Guarantee of Vocational Education

Chapter VII Legal Liability

Chapter VIII Supplementary Provisions

Chapter I General Provisions

Article 1 This Law is formulated in accordance with the Constitution for the purpose of promoting 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, human resources and skills, and advancing socialist modernization.

Article 2 The term “vocational education” as used in this Law refers to education implemented to cultivate high-quality technical and skilled personnel, enabling learners to acquire professional comprehensive qualities and practical abilities including professional ethics, scientific and cultural knowledge, professional knowledge, and technical skills required for engaging in certain occupations or achieving career development, including vocational school education and vocational training.

Specialized training for staff by government agencies and public institutions shall be separately stipulated by laws and administrative regulations.

Article 3 Vocational education is a type of education of equal importance to general education, an important component of the national education system and human resource development, and an important way to cultivate diversified talents, inherit technical skills, and promote employment and entrepreneurship.

The State vigorously develops vocational education, promotes vocational education reform, improves the quality of vocational education, enhances the adaptability of vocational education, establishes and improves a vocational education system that adapts to the needs of the socialist market economy and social development and conforms to the laws of growth of technical and skilled personnel, and provides strong talent and skill support for comprehensively building a modern socialist country.

Article 4 Vocational education must adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party of China, adhere to the socialist direction of running schools, implement the national education policy, adhere to the cultivation of morality and the cultivation of both morality and skills, adhere to the integration of industry and education and cooperation between schools and enterprises, adhere to market orientation and employment promotion, adhere to practice orientation and ability enhancement, and adhere to education for all and teaching according to individual needs.

The implementation of vocational education shall promote the core socialist values, provide ideological and political education and professional ethics education to learners, cultivate the spirit of model workers, labor spirit and craftsmanship, impart scientific and cultural knowledge and professional knowledge, cultivate technical skills, provide career guidance, and comprehensively improve the quality of learners.

Article 5 Citizens have the right to receive vocational education in accordance with the law.

Article 6 Vocational education shall be subject to overall government planning, hierarchical management, local responsibility, industry guidance, school-enterprise cooperation, and social participation.

Article 7 People’s governments at all levels shall incorporate the development of vocational education into the national economic and social development plans, and make overall arrangements and implement it together with promoting employment and entrepreneurship and promoting the transformation of development mode, industrial structure adjustment, and technological upgrading.

Article 8 The State Council shall establish a coordination mechanism for vocational education work to coordinate vocational education work throughout the country.

The education administrative department of the State Council shall be responsible for the overall planning, comprehensive coordination and macro management of vocational education work. The education administrative department, human resources and social security administrative department and other relevant departments of the State Council shall be responsible for relevant vocational education work within the scope of their duties as prescribed by the State Council.

People’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall strengthen their leadership over vocational education work within their respective administrative regions, clarify the specific responsibilities of people’s governments of cities divided into districts and county-level people’s governments for vocational education, coordinate the development of vocational education, and organize supervision and evaluation.

Relevant departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall strengthen communication and cooperation to jointly promote vocational education work.

Article 9 The State encourages the development of vocational education at various levels and in various forms, promotes diversified school operation, and supports extensive and equal participation of social forces in vocational education.

The State gives play to the important role of enterprises as the main body of school operation, promotes the in-depth participation of enterprises in vocational education, and encourages enterprises to run high-quality vocational education.

Relevant industry authorities, trade unions, China Vocational Education Society and other mass organizations, industry organizations, enterprises, public institutions, etc. shall fulfill their obligations to implement vocational education in accordance with the law, and participate in, support or carry out vocational education.

Article 10 The State adopts measures to vigorously develop technical worker education and comprehensively improve the quality of industrial workers.

The State adopts measures to support the holding of rural-oriented vocational education, organize agricultural skills training, return-home entrepreneurship and employment training and vocational skills training, and cultivate high-quality talents for rural revitalization.

The State adopts measures to support the development of vocational education in old revolutionary base areas, ethnic areas, remote areas and underdeveloped areas.

The State adopts measures to organize various kinds of job transfer, re-employment and unemployed personnel as well as special groups to receive various forms of vocational education, and support the development of vocational education for disabled persons.

The State safeguards women’s equal right to receive vocational education.

Article 11 The implementation of vocational education shall, in accordance with the needs of economic and social development, formulate educational standards or training programs in combination with occupational classification, occupational standards and occupational development needs, and implement a system of academic certificates and other academic certificates, training certificates, vocational qualification certificates and vocational skill level certificates.

The State implements a system whereby workers receive necessary vocational education before employment or taking up posts.

Article 12 The State adopts measures to improve the social status and treatment of technical and skilled personnel, and promote the social ethos of honoring labor, valuing skills and creating greatness.

The State gives recognition and rewards to units and individuals that have made outstanding achievements in vocational education work in accordance with relevant regulations.

The second week of May each year is designated as Vocational Education Activity Week.

Article 13 The State encourages foreign exchanges and cooperation in the field of vocational education, supports the introduction of high-quality overseas resources to develop vocational education, encourages qualified vocational education institutions to run schools overseas, and supports mutual recognition of vocational education learning achievements in various forms.

Chapter II Vocational Education System

Article 14 The State establishes and improves a modern vocational education system that adapts to the needs of economic and social development, deeply integrates industry and education, gives equal importance to vocational school education and vocational training, integrates vocational education with general education, effectively connects vocational education at different levels, and serves lifelong learning for all.

The State optimizes the education structure, scientifically allocates educational resources, and coordinates the development of vocational education and general education at different stages after compulsory education according to local conditions.

Article 15 Vocational school education is divided into secondary vocational school education and higher vocational school education.

Secondary vocational school education is implemented by secondary vocational schools (including technical schools) at the senior secondary education level.

Higher vocational school education is implemented by higher vocational schools and regular institutions of higher learning at the junior college, undergraduate and above levels. According to the regulations on the establishment of higher vocational schools, qualified technical colleges shall be included in the sequence of higher vocational schools.

Other schools, educational institutions or qualified enterprises and industry organizations may, in accordance with the overall planning of the education administrative departments, implement vocational school education at corresponding levels or provide credit courses incorporated into talent training programs.

Article 16 Vocational training includes pre-employment training, on-the-job training, re-employment training and other vocational training, which may be implemented at different levels and categories according to actual conditions.

Vocational training may be implemented by corresponding vocational training institutions and vocational schools.

Other schools or educational institutions as well as enterprises and social organizations may, according to their educational capacity and social needs, carry out various forms of vocational training for the society in accordance with the law.

Article 17 The State establishes and improves a mechanism for the certification, accumulation and conversion of credits, qualifications and other learning achievements from various levels and types of school education and vocational training, promotes the construction of a national credit bank for vocational education, and promotes the integration and mutual recognition of learning achievements between vocational education and general education.

Military vocational skill levels shall be incorporated into the national vocational qualification certification and vocational skill level evaluation system.

Article 18 In addition to being implemented by educational institutions for disabled persons, vocational education for disabled persons shall be accepted by vocational schools and vocational training institutions at all levels and of all types as well as other educational institutions in accordance with the relevant regulations of the State, and the construction of barrier-free environment shall be strengthened to provide necessary help and convenience for disabled students’ learning and life.

The State adopts measures to support educational institutions for disabled persons, vocational schools, vocational training institutions and other educational institutions to carry out or jointly carry out vocational education for disabled persons.

Special education teachers engaged in vocational education for disabled persons shall enjoy special education allowances in accordance with regulations.

Article 19 The education administrative departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall encourage and support ordinary primary and secondary schools and ordinary institutions of higher learning to add vocational education-related teaching content according to actual needs, carry out vocational enlightenment, vocational cognition and vocational experience, provide career planning guidance and labor education, and organize and guide vocational schools, vocational training institutions, enterprises and industry organizations to provide conditions and support.

Chapter III Implementation of Vocational Education

Article 20 The education administrative department of the State Council, in conjunction with relevant departments, shall, in accordance with the needs of economic and social development and the characteristics of vocational education, organize the formulation and revision of vocational education professional catalogues, improve vocational education teaching and other standards, and provide macro management and guidance for the construction of teaching materials in vocational schools.

Article 21 Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall establish or participate in the establishment of vocational schools and vocational training institutions that play a backbone and exemplary role, and provide guidance and support to vocational schools and vocational training institutions established by social forces in accordance with the law.

The State adopts measures to vigorously develop emerging majors needed by advanced manufacturing and other industries according to industrial layout and industry development needs, and supports the construction of high-level vocational schools and majors.

The State adopts measures to accelerate the cultivation of technical and skilled personnel in childcare, nursing, health care and housekeeping services.

Article 22 County-level people’s governments may, according to the needs of county economic and social development, establish vocational education center schools to carry out various forms of vocational education and implement practical technical training.

Education administrative departments may entrust vocational education center schools to undertake public management and service work such as education and teaching guidance, education quality evaluation, and teacher training in vocational education.

Article 23 Industry authorities shall strengthen guidance on vocational education according to industry and industrial talent needs, and regularly release talent demand information.

Industry authorities, trade unions, China Vocational Education Society and other mass organizations, industry organizations may, according to needs, participate in the formulation of vocational education professional catalogues and relevant vocational education standards, carry out talent demand forecasting, career development research and information consultation, cultivate supply-demand matching industry-education integration service organizations, establish or jointly establish vocational schools and vocational training institutions, and organize, coordinate and guide relevant enterprises, public institutions and social organizations to establish vocational schools and vocational training institutions.

Article 24 Enterprises shall, according to their actual conditions, implement vocational education in a planned manner for their employees and personnel to be recruited, and may set up full-time or part-time posts for implementing vocational education.

Enterprises shall implement a training and employment system in accordance with the relevant regulations of the State. Workers recruited by enterprises for technical jobs must receive safety production education and technical training before taking up posts; workers recruited for specific occupations (jobs) involving public safety, personal health, life and property safety must receive training and obtain vocational qualifications or special operation qualifications in accordance with the law.

The situation of enterprises carrying out vocational education shall be incorporated into their social responsibility reports.

Article 25 Enterprises may use capital, technology, knowledge, facilities, equipment, sites and management and other elements to establish or jointly establish vocational schools and vocational training institutions.

Article 26 The State encourages, guides and supports enterprises and other social forces to establish vocational schools and vocational training institutions in accordance with the law.

Local people’s governments at all levels shall support vocational schools and vocational training institutions established by enterprises and other social forces in accordance with the law by purchasing services, providing student loans, scholarships and grants, and other measures; for non-profit vocational schools and vocational training institutions, they may also adopt supporting measures such as government subsidies, fund rewards, and donation incentives, and provide appropriate subsidies with reference to the per-student funding and other relevant funding standards and supporting policies for public schools at the same level and of the same type.

Article 27 Enterprises that participate deeply in the integration of industry and education and cooperation between schools and enterprises, and play an important role in improving the quality of technical and skilled personnel training and promoting employment, shall be given rewards in accordance with regulations; enterprises that meet the conditions and are recognized as industry-education integration enterprises shall be given financial, fiscal, land and other support in accordance with regulations, and enjoy reductions and exemptions of education surcharges, local education surcharges and other tax incentives.

Article 28 For jointly establishing vocational schools or vocational training institutions, the sponsors shall sign joint school-running agreements to stipulate the rights and obligations of all parties.

Local people’s governments at all levels and industry authorities shall support social forces to participate in jointly establishing vocational schools and vocational training institutions of various forms in accordance with the law.

Where industry authorities, trade unions and other mass organizations, industry organizations, enterprises, public institutions, etc. entrust schools or vocational training institutions to implement vocational education, they shall sign entrustment contracts.

Article 29 People’s governments at or above the county level shall strengthen the construction of vocational education internship and training bases, organize industry authorities, trade unions and other mass organizations, industry organizations, enterprises, etc. to build high-level, specialized and open-shared industry-education integration internship and training bases according to regional or industry vocational education needs, and provide conditions and support for vocational schools and vocational training institutions to carry out internship and training and for enterprises to carry out training.

Article 30 The State implements a Chinese-style apprenticeship system, guides enterprises to establish apprenticeship posts according to a certain proportion of the total number of posts, encourages and supports enterprises with the ability to cultivate technical and skilled personnel, especially industry-education integration enterprises, to cooperate with vocational schools and vocational training institutions to provide apprenticeship training for newly recruited employees, on-the-job employees and transferred employees, or to jointly recruit students with vocational schools and cultivate apprentices in a work-study combination mode. Relevant enterprises may enjoy subsidies in accordance with regulations.

Where enterprises jointly recruit students with vocational schools and cultivate apprentices in a work-study combination mode, they shall sign apprenticeship training agreements.

Article 31 The State encourages industry organizations, enterprises, etc. to participate in the development of vocational education professional teaching materials, incorporate new technologies, new processes and new concepts into vocational school teaching materials, and make dynamic updates through various methods such as loose-leaf teaching materials; supports the use of information technology and other modern teaching methods to develop learning resources such as vocational education online courses, innovate teaching methods and school management methods, and promote the construction and integrated application of vocational education informatization.

Article 32 The State provides a platform for technical and skilled personnel to display their skills and exchange techniques by organizing vocational skill competitions and other activities, and continuously cultivates more high-quality technical and skilled personnel, craftsmen and master craftsmen.

Chapter IV Vocational Schools and Vocational Training Institutions

Article 33 The establishment of vocational schools shall meet the following basic conditions:

(1) Having organizational structure and articles of association;

(2) Having qualified teachers and management personnel;

(3) Having teaching and internship sites, facilities, equipment, curriculum system, and educational and teaching resources that are suitable for the vocational education implemented and meet the prescribed standards and safety requirements;

(4) Having necessary school-running funds and stable funding sources suitable for the scale of school operation.

The establishment of secondary vocational schools shall be subject to examination and approval by local people’s governments at or above the county level or relevant departments in accordance with the prescribed authority; the establishment of higher vocational schools offering junior college education shall be subject to examination and approval by people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, and shall be filed with the education administrative department of the State Council; the establishment of higher vocational schools offering undergraduate and above education shall be subject to examination and approval by the education administrative department of the State Council.

Some majors in junior college higher vocational schools that cultivate high-end technical and skilled personnel, if meeting the conditions of deep integration of industry and education, distinctive school-running characteristics, and high cultivation quality, may implement undergraduate vocational education upon examination and approval by the education administrative department of the State Council.

Article 34 The establishment of vocational training institutions shall meet the following basic conditions:

(1) Having organizational structure and management system;

(2) Having curriculum system, teachers or other teaching personnel, and management personnel suitable for training tasks;

(3) Having sites, facilities and equipment suitable for training tasks and meeting safety requirements;

(4) Having corresponding funds.

The establishment, modification and termination of vocational training institutions shall be implemented in accordance with the relevant regulations of the State.

Article 35 Public vocational schools shall implement the principal responsibility system under the leadership of the grassroots organizations of the Communist Party of China in vocational schools. The grassroots organizations of the Communist Party of China in vocational schools shall, in accordance with the Constitution of the Communist Party of China and relevant regulations, exercise overall leadership over the school work and support the principal to exercise his or her functions and powers independently and responsibly.

Private vocational schools shall improve their decision-making mechanisms in accordance with the law, strengthen the political functions of their grassroots organizations of the Communist Party of China, and ensure that they play an effective role in all aspects of school decision-making, supervision and execution.

The principal shall be fully responsible for the teaching, scientific research and other administrative management of the school. The principal shall exercise his or her functions and powers through the principal’s office meeting or school affairs meeting, and shall be subject to supervision in accordance with the law.

Vocational schools may, through consultation and other forms, listen to the opinions of representatives from industry organizations, enterprises, school graduates and other aspects, and give play to their role in participating in school construction and supporting school development.

Article 36 Vocational schools shall run schools in accordance with the law and exercise independent management in accordance with their articles of association.

Vocational schools may carry out the following activities in running schools:

(1) Setting up majors independently according to industrial needs in accordance with the law;

(2) Formulating talent training programs based on vocational education standards, and selecting or compiling professional course teaching materials independently in accordance with the law;

(3) Setting up learning systems and arranging teaching processes independently according to the needs of cultivating technical and skilled personnel;

(4) Appropriately adjusting the length of schooling on the basis of the basic school system and implementing a flexible learning system;

(5) Selecting professional course teachers independently in accordance with the law.

Article 37 The State establishes an examination and enrollment system that conforms to the characteristics of vocational education.

Secondary vocational schools may, in accordance with the relevant regulations of the State, implement integrated enrollment and cultivation with higher vocational school education in relevant majors.

Higher vocational schools may, in accordance with the relevant regulations of the State, enroll students by adopting an assessment method that combines cultural quality and vocational skills; for outstanding technical and skilled personnel, they may be admitted by breaking conventional rules after passing the assessment.

The education administrative departments of people’s governments at or above the provincial level, in conjunction with relevant departments of the people’s governments at the same level, shall establish a unified enrollment platform for vocational education, collect and release information about schools implementing vocational education and their major settings and enrollment situations, and provide inquiry and application services.

Article 38 Vocational schools shall strengthen the construction of school spirit and learning atmosphere, as well as teachers’ professional ethics, create a good learning environment, and ensure the quality of education and teaching.

Article 39 Vocational schools shall establish and improve the employment and entrepreneurship promotion mechanism, provide students with employment and entrepreneurship services such as career planning, career experience, and job-seeking guidance in various forms, and enhance students’ employability and entrepreneurship ability.

Article 40 Vocational schools and vocational training institutions shall pay attention to the integration of industry and education and implement school-enterprise cooperation in implementing vocational education.

Vocational schools and vocational training institutions may cooperate in various forms such as jointly establishing vocational education institutions with industry organizations, enterprises, public institutions, etc., establishing vocational education groups, and carrying out order-based training.

The State encourages vocational schools to establish cooperation mechanisms with relevant industry organizations, enterprises, public institutions, etc. in enrollment and employment, talent training program formulation, teacher team construction, professional planning, curriculum setting, teaching material development, teaching design, teaching implementation, quality evaluation, scientific research, technical services, transformation of scientific and technological achievements, and construction of technical and skill innovation platforms, specialized technology transfer institutions, and internship and training bases. Where cooperation is carried out, agreements shall be signed to clarify the rights and obligations of both parties.

Article 41 The income obtained by vocational schools and vocational training institutions from carrying out school-enterprise cooperation, providing social services, or establishing enterprises for the purpose of internship and training or carrying out business operations shall be used to improve school-running conditions; a certain proportion of the income may be used to pay labor remuneration for teachers, enterprise experts, external personnel and learners, and may also be used as a source of performance-based pay, and may not be subject to the total limit of performance-based pay if meeting the national regulations.

Where vocational schools and vocational training institutions implement the activities specified in the preceding paragraph and meet the relevant national regulations, they shall enjoy relevant tax incentives.

Article 42 Vocational schools shall charge tuition and other necessary fees in accordance with the prescribed standards and methods; those meeting the national conditions shall be exempted or reduced; and no fees shall be charged illegally in the name of job introduction or internship arrangement.

Vocational training institutions and vocational schools that carry out training for the society shall charge fees in accordance with the relevant regulations of the State.

Article 43 Vocational schools and vocational training institutions shall establish and improve the education quality evaluation system, absorb industry organizations, enterprises, etc. to participate in the evaluation, and timely disclose relevant information to accept education supervision and social supervision.

The education administrative departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall, in conjunction with relevant departments and industry organizations, establish a quality evaluation system that conforms to the characteristics of vocational education, organize or entrust industry organizations, enterprises and third-party professional institutions to evaluate the quality of school operation of vocational schools, and timely disclose the evaluation results.

The quality evaluation of vocational education shall highlight the employment orientation, take the professional ethics, technical and skill levels and employment quality of learners as important indicators, and guide vocational schools to cultivate high-quality technical and skilled personnel.

Relevant departments shall, in accordance with their respective duties, strengthen the supervision and management of vocational schools and vocational training institutions.

Chapter V Teachers and Students of Vocational Education

Article 44 The State safeguards the rights of vocational education teachers and improves their professional quality and social status.

People’s governments at or above the county level and their relevant departments shall incorporate the training of vocational education teachers into the planning of teacher team construction to ensure that the vocational education teacher team meets the needs of vocational education development.

Article 45 The State establishes and improves the vocational education teacher training system.

People’s governments at all levels shall adopt measures to strengthen the specialized training of vocational education teachers, encourage the establishment of specialized vocational education normal colleges, support institutions of higher learning to set up relevant majors to train vocational education teachers, and encourage industry organizations and enterprises to jointly participate in the training of vocational education teachers.

Industry-education integration enterprises and enterprises above designated size shall arrange a certain proportion of posts to accept teachers from vocational schools and vocational training institutions for practice.

Article 46 The State establishes and improves the post setting and professional title (position) appointment system for vocational school teachers that conforms to the characteristics and development requirements of vocational education.

Professional course teachers (including internship instructors) in vocational schools shall have certain years of corresponding work experience or practical experience and reach corresponding technical and skill levels.

Qualified management and professional and technical personnel from enterprises and public institutions, as well as other personnel with professional knowledge or special skills, may serve as full-time or part-time professional course teachers in vocational schools after passing the education and teaching ability training; those who have obtained teacher qualifications may be appointed to corresponding teacher positions according to their technical titles. The academic requirements for obtaining vocational school professional course teacher qualifications may be appropriately reduced.

Article 47 The State encourages vocational schools to employ high-skilled talents such as skill masters, model workers, craftsmen, and representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage to participate in talent cultivation, technical development, and skill inheritance through serving as full-time or part-time professional course teachers or establishing studios.

Article 48 The State formulates basic standards for the staffing of teaching and administrative staff in vocational schools. Provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall formulate staffing standards for teaching and administrative staff in vocational schools in their respective regions according to the basic standards.

Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall determine the scale of teaching and administrative staff in public vocational schools according to the staffing standards and school scale, among which a certain proportion may be used to support vocational schools to openly recruit professional and technical personnel and skilled personnel from the society to serve as full-time or part-time teachers.

Article 49 Students of vocational schools shall abide by laws and regulations and student behavior norms, develop good professional ethics, professional spirit and behavior habits, study hard, complete prescribed learning tasks, participate in internship and training as required, and master technical skills.

The legitimate rights and interests of students of vocational schools shall be protected by law.

Article 50 The State encourages enterprises and public institutions to arrange internship posts and accept students from vocational schools and vocational training institutions for internships. Units accepting interns shall guarantee students’ rights to enjoy rest and vacation, obtain labor safety and health protection, participate in relevant insurance, and receive vocational skills guidance during the internship period in accordance with regulations; for those taking up internship posts, internship agreements shall be signed and appropriate labor remuneration shall be given.

Vocational schools and vocational training institutions shall strengthen the guidance of students in internship and training, strengthen safety production education, negotiate with internship units to arrange posts that match students’ majors, clarify the content and standards of internship and training, and shall not arrange students to engage in internship and training unrelated to their majors, nor violate relevant regulations to organize, arrange or manage student internship and training through human resources service agencies, labor dispatch units, or units or individuals illegally engaged in human resources services or labor dispatch business.

Article 51 Those who receive vocational school education and meet the corresponding academic requirements and pass the school assessment shall obtain corresponding academic certificates; those who receive vocational training and pass the assessment by vocational training institutions or vocational schools shall obtain corresponding training certificates; those who pass the assessment by specialized institutions meeting the national regulations shall obtain corresponding vocational qualification certificates or vocational skill level certificates.

Academic certificates, training certificates, vocational qualification certificates and vocational skill level certificates shall serve as credentials for learners to engage in relevant occupations in accordance with the relevant regulations of the State.

Learning achievements such as vocational skill level certificates and training certificates obtained from vocational training may be converted into corresponding academic education credits upon recognition by vocational schools; those who meet the requirements of corresponding vocational schools may obtain corresponding academic certificates.

Those who receive higher vocational school education and whose academic level meets the national degree standards may apply for corresponding degrees in accordance with the law.

Article 52 The State establishes a reward and financial aid system for students in vocational schools, rewards particularly outstanding students, provides financial assistance to students from economically disadvantaged families, and gives appropriate preference to students majoring in difficult and special industries. The State shall adjust the reward and financial aid standards in a timely manner according to the economic and social development situation.

The State supports enterprises, public institutions, social organizations and individual citizens to establish vocational education scholarships and grants in accordance with the relevant regulations of the State to reward outstanding students and assist students from economically disadvantaged families.

Vocational schools shall, in accordance with the relevant regulations of the State, withdraw a certain proportion of funds from business income or tuition income for rewarding and assisting students.

Relevant departments of people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall improve the management system of financial aid funds for vocational schools and standardize the management and use of financial aid funds.

Article 53 Students in vocational schools enjoy equal opportunities with students in ordinary schools at the same level in terms of further education, employment and career development.

Higher vocational schools and ordinary institutions of higher learning implementing vocational education shall determine corresponding proportions in their enrollment plans or adopt separate examination methods to specifically enroll graduates from vocational schools.

People’s governments at all levels shall create a fair employment environment. Employers shall not set conditions for application, recruitment and employment that hinder the equal employment and fair competition of graduates from vocational schools. When recruiting technical and skilled personnel, government agencies, public institutions and state-owned enterprises shall specify technical and skill requirements and take technical and skill levels as important conditions for recruitment and employment. For positions with vocational skill level requirements in public recruitment by public institutions, academic requirements may be appropriately reduced.

Chapter VI Guarantee of Vocational Education

Article 54 The State optimizes the structure of education expenditure to adapt the investment in vocational education to the needs of vocational education development, and encourages the raising of funds for the development of vocational education through various channels in accordance with the law.

Article 55 People’s governments at all levels shall, in accordance with the principle of matching administrative power and expenditure responsibility, implement vocational education funds according to the scale, training cost and quality of vocational education, and strengthen budget performance management to improve the efficiency of fund use.

People’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall formulate per-student funding standards or public expenditure standards for vocational schools in their respective regions. Sponsors of vocational schools shall allocate funds in full and on time according to the per-student funding standards or public expenditure standards, and continuously improve school-running conditions. Per-student appropriations shall not be offset by tuition or social service income.

Sponsors of private vocational schools shall raise funds through various channels with reference to the per-student funding standards for vocational schools at the same level and of the same type.

Funds specially arranged by finance and donations designated for vocational education shall not be misappropriated or deducted by any organization or individual.

Article 56 When arranging funds for local education surcharges and other aspects, local people’s governments at all levels shall coordinate the use of funds that can be used for vocational education; give play to the role of unemployment insurance funds to support employees to improve their vocational skills.

Article 57 People’s governments at all levels shall increase investment in rural-oriented vocational education, and may appropriately use funds for rural science and technology development and technology extension for rural vocational training.

Article 58 Enterprises shall, according to the standards prescribed by the State Council, withdraw and use employee education funds according to a certain proportion of the total wages of employees. Employee education funds may be used for reasonable purposes such as establishing vocational education institutions and providing vocational education for their employees and personnel to be recruited, among which the funds used for vocational education for front-line employees shall reach the proportion prescribed by the State. Employers that arrange employees to receive vocational education in vocational schools or vocational training institutions shall pay wages in accordance with the law during the period of vocational education and guarantee relevant benefits.

Expenses incurred by enterprises in establishing industry-education integration internship and training bases with both production and teaching functions may enjoy corresponding preferences in land use and public utility fees with reference to vocational schools.

Article 59 The State encourages financial institutions to support the development of vocational education by providing financial services.

Article 60 The State encourages enterprises, public institutions, social organizations and individual citizens to make donations to support vocational education, and encourages overseas organizations and individuals to provide funding and donations for vocational education. Funding and donations provided must be used for vocational education.

Article 61 The State encourages and supports the conduct of scientific and technological research in vocational education, development of teaching materials and teaching resources, and promotes the cross-regional, cross-industry and cross-departmental co-construction and sharing of vocational education resources.

The State gradually establishes an information statistics and management system that reflects the characteristics and functions of vocational education.

People’s governments at or above the county level and their relevant departments shall establish and improve the vocational education service and guarantee system, and organize trade unions and other mass organizations, industry organizations, enterprises, schools, etc. to carry out vocational education research, publicity and promotion, and talent supply-demand docking activities.

Article 62 News media and relevant parties of vocational education shall actively carry out public welfare publicity for vocational education, publicize typical deeds of technical and skilled talents growing up and becoming successful, and create a good social atmosphere where everyone can strive to become talented, everyone can become talented, and everyone can fully display their talents.

Chapter VII Legal Liability

Article 63 Those who violate the relevant legal provisions such as the Education Law of the People’s Republic of China and the Labor Law of the People’s Republic of China in vocational education activities shall be punished in accordance with the relevant legal provisions.

Article 64 Where enterprises fail to implement vocational education for their employees and personnel to be recruited or to withdraw and use employee education funds in accordance with the provisions of this Law, the relevant departments shall order them to make corrections; where they refuse to make corrections, the people’s governments at or above the county level shall collect the employee education funds that they should bear and use them for vocational education.

Article 65 Where vocational schools or vocational training institutions violate the provisions of this Law in vocational education activities, the education administrative departments or other relevant departments shall order them to make corrections; where the education and teaching quality is low or the management is chaotic and serious consequences are caused, they shall be ordered to suspend enrollment for a time limit for rectification; where they fail to rectify within the time limit or still fail to meet the requirements after rectification, their school-running licenses shall be revoked or they shall be ordered to stop running schools.

Article 66 Where units accepting students from vocational schools and vocational training institutions for internship violate the provisions of this Law and infringe upon students’ rights to rest and vacation, obtain labor safety and health protection, participate in relevant insurance, and receive vocational skills guidance, they shall bear corresponding legal liabilities in accordance with the law.

Where vocational schools or vocational training institutions violate the provisions of this Law and organize, arrange or manage student internship and training through human resources service agencies, labor dispatch units, or units or individuals illegally engaged in human resources services or labor dispatch business, the education administrative departments, human resources and social security administrative departments or other relevant departments shall order them to make corrections, confiscate their illegal gains, and impose a fine of not less than one time but not more than five times the illegal gains; where the illegal gains are less than 10,000 yuan, the fine shall be calculated as 10,000 yuan.

For human resources service agencies, labor dispatch units or units or individuals illegally engaged in human resources services or labor dispatch business as specified in the preceding paragraph, the human resources and social security administrative departments or other relevant departments shall order them to make corrections, confiscate their illegal gains, and impose a fine of not less than one time but not more than five times the illegal gains; where the illegal gains are less than 10,000 yuan, the fine shall be calculated as 10,000 yuan.

Article 67 Where staff members of education administrative departments, human resources and social security administrative departments or other relevant departments violate the provisions of this Law, abuse their power, neglect their duties or engage in malpractice for personal gain, they shall be given disciplinary sanctions in accordance with the law; where a crime is constituted, they shall be investigated for criminal liability in accordance with the law.

Chapter VIII Supplementary Provisions

Article 68 This Law shall apply to the establishment of vocational schools and vocational training institutions in the territory by overseas organizations and individuals; where laws and administrative regulations provide otherwise, such provisions shall prevail.

Article 69 This Law shall come into force as of May 1, 2022.