In 2025, China’s Zhengzhou Railway Vocational and Technical College has specified in its enrollment regulations that the target for admission to several majors is university graduates. More than half of the students believe that “returning to the furnace” for skills training will help improve their employability.
The “2025 Independent Examination and Enrollment Regulations of Zhengzhou Railway Vocational and Technical College” indicate that three majors have specified “university graduates” as the target for enrollment. These three majors are High-speed Rail Vehicle Maintenance Technology, Comprehensive High-speed Railway Maintenance Technology, and Railway Transportation Operation Management. The enrollment plan for each of these majors is 45 students. The regulations show that the college is the only public vocational college in Henan Province specializing in rail transit, and the first independent higher vocational and technical college in the national railway system.
As early as 2018, Zhengzhou Railway Vocational and Technical College had majors that targeted university graduates for admissions.
In addition to Zhengzhou Railway Vocational and Technical College, statistics from Lingnan Vocational and Technical College in Guangdong Province show that “in the past two years, the college has admitted over 150 university graduates and above who returned for technical skills certification.” Most of these students are from non-985 or 211 universities, but there are also some master’s, doctoral graduates, and those from 985 universities. Many “returning” graduates believe that acquiring technical skills can expand new possibilities in their careers.
In recent years, more and more university graduates have chosen to enhance their practical skills by returning to vocational schools, aiming to gain the dual advantages of a university degree and practical skills to broaden their career prospects.
According to the “2024 College Graduates Employment Competitiveness Research Report” released by Zhaopin, 52.2% of graduates affirm that learning skills through “returning” to vocational education is beneficial for employment, with the highest percentage, indicating that there is a high demand in the job market for professional skills, resulting in more employment opportunities after skills training. Moreover, 43.2% believe that having multiple skills leads to more career paths, and 33.2% see it as a way to accumulate social experience.
On July 6, the “Yicai” reported that for many university graduates and above, although they possess high theoretical knowledge, they often lack practical skills, creating a structural contradiction with the demand from companies for skilled technical personnel.
Mr. Sun, a senior executive of a cross-border e-commerce company in South China, told the media that companies are increasingly in need of professionals with diverse skills, requiring a combination of strong technical skills and a solid theoretical knowledge foundation, which can lead to greater career development potential for talents.
With the Chinese economy experiencing a downturn, many university graduates find themselves facing the dilemma of unemployment upon graduation. To meet such demand, vocational undergraduate education has emerged as a solution where graduates must acquire practical skills to enhance their employment prospects.