Exploring the path for vocational teacher training in China's high-quality development era: Based on Germany's practice

Abstract

Nowadays, vocational education in China is in a high-quality development phase, where the teaching staff is a core element in supporting the construction of a high-quality vocational education system. This period of high-quality development has led to higher requirements for the development of vocational education teachers. However, analysis using methods such as literature review and historical research reveals that there are still issues in the professional development of China's vocational education teaching staff, including outdated professional standards, insufficient training systems, and inadequate evaluation and incentive mechanisms. Over the last 100 years, Germany's vocational teacher training system has undergone a remarkable evolution from a less organized, rather brief program to a highly professionalized system that is still evolving in terms of teaching skills and linkage to the labor market. This paper analyzes the effective practices in German vocational education teacher training from the areas of vocational access standards, training systems, evaluation and incentive mechanisms, and digital literacy standards. Furthermore, suggestions are provided for cultivating a high-quality and professional vocational education teacher workforce in China, including developing laws and regulations, entry and qualification systems, integrated training systems, and digital transformation.