Probe Into The Characteristic Construction Of Higher Vocational Education

Higher vocational education is an important part of the whole higher education system of China. It aims at cultivating practical and skilled professional people for front-line positions, who have strong theoretical knowledge and practical ability, who are oriented toward primary level, toward production, service and management. It is the higher phase of vocational education.Since the 1990s, higher vocational education of our country has made great progress, but also encountered difficulties. It is indicated that by September 1,2004, the average employment rate of nation ordinary university graduates is 73%, among which the graduate students' employment rate reached 93%, undergraduate student 84%, yet for vocational students, the rate is only 61%, which is much lower than graduate students' and undergraduate students' employment rate. There exist serious problems for the employment of vocational students. Unclear directions, obsolete subjects, low discipline quality, all caused the difficulty to recognize some vocational schools' graduates by the society. On the other hand, difficult employment makes it hard for many vocational schools to develop. This article tries to demonstrate the basic characteristic of higher vocational education, to analyze scientifically the situation which is confronted by higher vocational education in China after its rapid development in recent years. Also, by referring to experience from developed country and local higher vocational schools, it tries to reveal the teaching and school-managing characteristics of higher vocational schools.As a part of higher education, higher vocational education has the general characteristics of higher education while it has its own characteristics. Thus, understanding correctly the school characteristic is the foundation for higher vocational education. On the foundation of analyzing the essence of higher vocational education, this article proposes that the essential characteristic of higher vocational education should be market-orientation, which is the whole point of higher vocational education. It is the key to its survival and healthy development.In brief, this article takes characteristic construction as a forerunner, educational reform as a core, improvement of the education quality as the main line. In line with principles of stemming from practice, higher than the practice and instructing practice, around the question of what is vocational education characteristic and why higher vocational education must take the road of the characteristic development and how, this article tries to provide theoretical reference and lessons for the healthy development of higher vocational education with Chinese characteristics.For our higher vocational education which is chaired by the government, the country and governments of all levels play vital roles in the development of higher vocational education and the formation of school characteristics. Over some problems which call for urgent solution in view of present development of higher vocational education, this article puts forward some proposals in the aspects of enlarging government's support and guidance, reforming recruitment and enrollment system, innovating school mechanism and establishing occupational qualification certificates admittance system..Through experience summary and theoretical research of higher vocational education, this article proposes explicitly that higher vocational education in China should take market as the guidance, which is the basis for development; bright characteristic is the key; formulation of scientific and reasonable policy is the guarantee of characteristic development.