CRADALL, together with the University of Glasgow's GLACIER network, is delighted to host the first of two seminars focusing on VET  These seminars bring together scholars engaged in vocational education, skills formation, and comparative education research. All welcome. See below and attached for moe information. Our first session features Dr Xinmiao Song (Lingnan University) who will talk about ambition versus reality in vocational educatoin in China.

Title: Caught in the Middle: Navigating Ambition and Reality in Chinese Vocational Education 

Speaker: Dr Xinmiao Song (Lingnan University) 

Abstract:

In a landmark policy shift, China has o icially elevated vocational education to a distinct 'type' (类型), positioning it as equal in status to general academic education. This move represents an ambitious blueprint to revitalize a system whose social standing has seen dramatic fluctuations: from a prestigious "golden ticket" providing lifelong employment in the socialist era, to a key channel for rural students' social mobility, and its subsequent decline in appeal following marketization and higher education expansion. 

Drawing on multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork across China, this presentation explores the complex reality behind this new policy framework. I argue that despite its upgraded status, VET remains a primary educational pathway for youth from rural and migrant backgrounds, making it a crucial site for understanding social stratification. On the ground, my research reveals significant tensions within the pedagogical process. This includes a curriculum that struggles to keep pace with industry needs and a focus on elite skill competitions that, while fostering excellence, may not address the skill formation challenges for the majority of students. This educational complexity extends into the pivotal school-to-work transition, where various internship regimes take shape. While intended as learning experiences, these internships can blur the line between pedagogy and production, often manifesting as a form of precarious labour shaped by imbalanced school-enterprise partnerships. The presentation concludes by reflecting on the core challenges confronting this new policy era: the difficult adaptation of foreign models like Germany's dual system in a di erent industrial context, and the immense pressure from a competitive youth labour market. Ultimately, this talk poses a central question for discussion: As China redefines vocational education by type, how can it ensure this proclaimed equality in status translates into genuine educational substance and equitable futures for its students? 

About the speaker:

Dr. Xinmiao Song is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Lingnan University Creative and Cultural Innovation Research Institute, Hong Kong, and an awardee of the RGC Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme (PDFS) for 2025. She received her PhD in Sociology from The University of Hong Kong. Her research focuses on vocational education and the reproduction of China's new working class, with publications in academic journals such as The China Quarterly and Critical Sociology. Complementing her academic work, she has also contributed to policy reports on youth poverty in Hong Kong and conducted research on the local recruitment market. Her current research interests, which bridge her academic and policy-oriented work, lie in the employment and skill formation of youth from underprivileged backgrounds.