Training Level Improvement and Student Development in Chinese Vocational Colleges

Vocational education is significant in the ever-changing global marketplace given that it equips learners with tangible abilities and knowledge that are required for different industries. Heeding this importance, the vocational education sector in China is currently facing a crisis that urgently needs attention and intervention. Although vocational colleges have played a crucial role in cultivating skilled labor, there is still a significant concern about the adequacy and effectiveness of training programs. Hence, this paper points out that there is a gap between the training provided and the actual development needs of students, resulting in unsatisfactory results in both academic and professional fields. In reference to this gap, this study examined the training level improvement and the student development of students in Chinese vocational colleges. It described the profile of the respondents; determined their training level improvement in terms of academic support, personal growth, and institutional environment; identified their development in terms of personal development, professional skills, and social engagement; tested the differences in responses when they are grouped according to profile; tested the relationship between training level and student development; and proposed a plan of action to enhance student internship development. The descriptive method was employed in this study. A total of 650 college students were selected from six vocational schools in Mainland China, including Guangzhou Panyu Polytechnic University. Adapted from the study of Xuefei and Ying (2020), the instrument was subjected to reliability test. Frequency, percentage, weighted mean, one-way ANOVA, t-test, and Pearson-r were used to treat and analyze the data. As to the findings, majority of the respondents were female, in their sophomore year, majoring in Literature, and with 6-10 hours length of training. Most of them agreed on the indicators regarding training level improvement in terms of academic support, personal growth, and institutional environment. A large proportion also agreed on the indicators pertaining to student development in terms of personal development, professional skills, and social engagement. When grouped according to profile, significant differences exist on responses regarding training level improvement and student development as well as when grouped according to sex and length of training. However, no significant differences were yielded when grouped as to year level and major. Additionally, findings showed significant relationship between training level improvement and student development. An enhanced plan of action to improve student internship development was proposed.