Secondary Vocational Education with Chinese Characteristics

The stability of China's education system attracts attention not only from educational scholars but also from researchers in economics and politics. The article is devoted to the concept of socialism with Chinese characteristics as both an ideology (a system of views, principles, and values) and a policy (practical activities aimed at imple-menting ideological principles). Based on an interdisciplinary review of scholarly ar-ticles, the strategic objectives of secondary vocational education are identified: culti-vating a large number of technical and skilled talents, promoting deep integration of industry and education, aligning education goals with professional needs, and creat-ing, alternative pathways for academic qualification development. The authors pro-vide a synthesized definition of secondary vocational education with Chinese char-acteristics as the theory and practice of training and educating skilled workers based on China's rich cultural heritage, including labor education, professional ethics, de-velopment of professional qualities, and cultivation of a professional spirit. The most significant characteristics of this phenomenon have been identified: 1) The formation of morally upright and educated individuals at all levels of vocational education and teaching, who possess high ethical standards and a strong sense of social responsibil-ity; 2) Strengthening labor education, fostering a value-based attitude toward work as the foundation of a dignified life and economic prosperity, and cultivating readiness for diligent and conscientious work, along with the development of frugal and dili-gent workers; 3) Improving the apprenticeship system as a method for skill transfer, a form of labor relations, a mechanism of social governance, a basis for social relation-ships, and an institutional framework for preparing qualified personnel.