Which level is higher, vocational college or junior college?

my country's higher education can be divided into three levels: associate, undergraduate, and postgraduate in terms of academic qualifications. In terms of type, junior college level academic qualifications can be divided into two different types: higher vocational education and subject education. Although the content of their studies is different, they all have college degrees.

The graduation certificates of vocational and high school starting junior colleges are all national education series junior college diplomas recognized by the state. The difference between higher vocational colleges and junior colleges lies in the different study courses. The teaching of higher vocational colleges focuses on vocational technology.

The graduation certificates of higher vocational colleges and high school starting junior colleges are all national education series junior college diplomas recognized by the state. The difference between higher vocational colleges and junior colleges lies in the different study courses. The teaching of higher vocational colleges focuses on vocational technology.

What is the difference between higher vocational education and junior college? Are higher vocational colleges really inferior to junior colleges? How come junior colleges that have been enrolling students for many years suddenly became higher vocational colleges this year? Where did the college go? Are there any differences between adult vocational colleges, self-study vocational colleges, and ordinary college vocational colleges? Can I continue my undergraduate studies after graduating from a higher vocational college? Can graduates from higher vocational schools only work as workers? With several issues of general concern to the society, the reporter interviewed Associate Professor Gong Wenqing, Secretary-General of the Beijing Higher Vocational Education Research Association.

Get out of the misunderstanding of higher vocational education

Mr. Gong said that the disappearance of junior colleges that surprised some parents has not actually disappeared. Higher vocational education is actually junior college education. Our country's higher education is divided into three types: junior college, undergraduate, and postgraduate in terms of academic level. In terms of education type, junior college education also includes subject education and higher vocational education. The junior college education that has been implemented for many years in the past is actually subject education, which has the defect of emphasizing theory and ignoring practice. In recent years, the country has been adjusting this unreasonable situation. The move this year has been particularly big. Except for normal colleges, all junior colleges enrolled in colleges and universities in Beijing have been converted into higher vocational colleges. As a new education model, higher vocational education pays more attention to the cultivation of application abilities, which is a reasonable adjustment for education to proactively adapt to the market. Understanding higher vocational education in this sense, it is obvious that it is closer to the talent market than traditional college education.

This can also be confirmed from the relevant national policies for higher vocational graduates. The wages and benefits of Beijing higher vocational graduates are the same as those of college students. Agricultural household registration candidates from Beijing can also apply for non-agricultural transfer. It’s just that dispatch certificates are not issued, but dispatch certificates are a product of the planned economy era. At present, the policies for junior college and undergraduate graduates from ordinary universities are no different from those for higher vocational colleges. It has long been a fact that graduates can choose their own careers.

Can I only work as a worker after graduating from a vocational college? Most of the majors offered by higher vocational colleges are in-demand majors that are urgently needed by the society. Taking the self-study higher vocational majors as an example, they have opened computer applications, marketing, property management, network technology applications and services, decorative arts, intelligent building control technology and numerical control applications. and other majors. Haidian Day University, which was the first to establish higher vocational education in Beijing, has a novel major, and its graduates' salary is even better than that of undergraduates and graduate students in some institutions, and the one-time employment rate is also very high.

Broad prospects

It is understood that the current entry channels for higher vocational education are very wide. First, the state has given legal enrollment quotas to recruit senior high school graduates. Except for the different training model from previous junior colleges, this form has the same enrollment method as junior colleges. Vocational and technical students in vocational high schools, technical secondary schools, and technical schools can also obtain admission qualifications through an examination organized separately by Beijing (i.e., 3+X). The second form is higher vocational education in the field of continuing education. This is the case for higher vocational colleges in adult colleges and self-study higher vocational colleges. It can be seen that the entrance to higher vocational education has been opened.

In terms of policy, as a junior college degree level, higher vocational education can be renewed, but there are still some unsatisfactory aspects. However, in fact, there are still some unsatisfactory aspects. For example, the lack of national policy for undergraduate education is one of the important reasons why some students do not choose higher vocational education. Relevant departments are already considering this issue. According to relevant sources, the issue of upgrading higher vocational colleges to bachelor's degree is expected to be realized in the next one or two years. Beijing has already considered opening undergraduate programs in some technical higher vocational schools. By then, the advantages of higher vocational education will be more obvious.

In view of the fact that the widespread high consumption of talents is gradually being corrected, it is foreseeable that situations such as the situation in the Shenzhen talent market where the wages of fitters are higher than those of graduate students are not impossible to appear in new higher vocational education. .

Higher vocational colleges and vocational colleges are confused: Why do employers not recognize higher vocational colleges?

Today, more than 13,000 vocational college students in Beijing have their own job fairs, so they don’t have to study in undergraduate programs. Students and graduate students receive cold looks at job fairs.

But they encountered another embarrassment: at the first higher vocational job fair in Beijing, many employers still didn't understand what a higher vocational job was.

Director Ren Zhanzhong of the Beijing University Employment Guidance Center told a story: At a symposium, the HR manager of a well-known large modern enterprise did not know the difference between vocational high school and higher vocational college. "They are all secondary vocational education, right?" He finally said cautiously.

Nothing is unique. Mr. Xie works in a college. Last year, a friend's child applied for a higher vocational college. He couldn't understand: Why should such a good child take the high school entrance examination? Today, Mr. Xie and his colleagues came to the venue to recruit people who are familiar with the printing business. His colleagues also thought that higher vocational education equaled high school, but the educational requirements on the recruitment poster stated that they had a high school degree or above.

Many companies confuse higher vocational education with vocational high school, which makes officials in the education department dumbfounded. The relevant person in charge of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission suggested: Do not use abbreviations in the future. He introduced that the full name of higher vocational school is higher vocational technology, which belongs to the path of study after high school graduation. It is organized by ordinary colleges and universities or is independently organized and has a college degree; the full name of vocational high school is vocational high school, which is admitted after graduating from junior high school. Generally, it is Held in middle school, technical secondary school degree.

Higher vocational education has only developed in China in recent years. Taking Beijing as an example, the number of higher vocational graduates has remained at around 1,000 in the past few years. Last year, the number of graduates surged to more than 8,000. This year, the number of graduates is as high as more than 13,000.

In the past, it was understandable that higher vocational colleges were unknown due to their scale. Last year, the state emphasized increasing the development of vocational education. For a period of time, various media have concentrated on introducing vocational education.

Advanced foreign vocational education concepts have been introduced into the country without losing any opportunity. For example, Australia hopes that 80% of students after 12 years of education will enter general higher education. In fact, only 50% to 60% of students enter this system, and the rest choose higher vocational education. Abroad, vocational education means professional qualification certificate. When vocational schools set up majors, they are very cautious and must conduct full research on the market and enterprises.

However, because the scale of higher vocational education is still small, even some schools that organize higher vocational education do not even really understand its meaning, and they run higher vocational education like neither a college nor a vocational education. educate.

An industry-based adult education school started recruiting vocational students last year, with only one class of accounting majors having more than 30 students. Teachers in charge of employment are also worried: the school's brand is not resounding, and higher vocational education is not its strong point. How do students find jobs? They went to the job fair hoping to take the opportunity to promote the school.

“The vocational students trained by some higher vocational colleges are almost the same as college students.” An employer participating in the exhibition was deeply touched by this. Recruiters said that vocational college students should have strong practical skills. He took out a book and asked the candidates to identify the fonts on it. As a result, not one of the 20 or so students could answer the question.

Many students think that they have professional qualifications after attending a higher vocational college. As a partner of a newly established machinery company, Mr. Zhuang came to the job fair to recruit people. One student asked for a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan. Mr. Zhuang came up with a topic on the spot and asked him to sketch the chairs at the exhibition. As a result, he couldn't draw it. Disappointed with higher vocational students, he set his sights on undergraduates.

Compared with those well-known universities, higher vocational colleges do not yet have nationally renowned brands.

A public school teacher said with emotion: Private higher vocational schools are better than public ones. For example, Beijing Haidian Day University can set up its own majors and the distribution of students is also quite good. However, for more public colleges and universities, the establishment of higher vocational colleges has been a bit hasty. Many schools do not have their own characteristics. The professional setting must listen to the opinions of the competent authorities, and the flexibility is relatively weak.

“Since higher vocational employment has been completely market-oriented, why not enroll students in the same way?” A teacher from a higher vocational college suggested. She envisions that after five years of market baptism, higher vocational education will be more standardized. At that time, only characteristics could make higher vocational schools famous, and only characteristics could make higher vocational schools survive.

Excerpted from "China Youth Daily" 2003-03-10

Is there any difference between "higher vocational education" and "junior college"?

Answer: The full name of higher vocational education is higher vocational education. In order to integrate with international standards, it was collectively renamed higher vocational education. In the past, colleges and universities focused on examinations, and students did not have strong practical abilities. In order to increase the intensity of practical teaching and cultivate so-called applied talents with university education and advanced professional skills.

This changed all the programs to higher vocational education, except for the normal education program, which was still called a junior college. Some old technical secondary schools have been transformed and upgraded into higher vocational schools. Therefore, higher vocational education and junior college cannot be completely equated. At present, higher vocational education is still at the junior college level.

The main differences between higher vocational colleges at the current junior college level and the original junior colleges are: First, higher vocational colleges highlight the education and training of students’ practical abilities and professional skills. Second, higher vocational graduates are application-oriented and technical-skilled professionals, and are more popular for employment, unlike in previous years where college graduates were unable to get a job.

The graduation certificates of higher vocational colleges and high school starting junior colleges are all national education series junior college diplomas recognized by the state. The difference between higher vocational colleges and junior colleges lies in the different study courses. The teaching of higher vocational colleges focuses on vocational technology.

If you are a skilled worker, of course it is easier to go to a higher vocational school, because after all, it is more professionally targeted.

If you are doing management, of course it is easier to get a college degree, because management without a degree is absolutely impossible, but a major is not enough, and you have to continue your education.