The Ministry of Education (MOE) recently held a workshop on development of the third group of national-level vocational teacher innovation teams. The event was held at the Changzhou Vocational Institute of Mechatronic Technology in Changzhou Science and Education Town, Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province.

The MOE initiated the project to develop national-level vocational teacher innovation teams in 2019. The project aims to push forward the establishment of such teams in batches, focusing on major critical industries and much-needed disciplines in the field of public welfare. The first two groups comprised a total of 364 innovation teams. The third group was announced by the ministry in November 2023 and comprises 147 teams.

Provincial- and university-level projects to establish innovation teams are also underway, based on good practices identified through the national project. These projects aim to develop a group of specialty disciplines, boost reform and innovation of pedagogical paradigms, and consistently increase the quality of talent cultivation. Up to now, over 20 provinces have conducted such projects, with the number of provincial-level innovation teams rising substantially from 500 in 2022 to over 2,000 in 2023. These projects play a pivotal role in building a vocational teacher workforce with both academic knowledge and technical skills.

The current workshop laid out the overall plan for developing the third group of national-level innovation teams. Using relevant policies as a basis, the workshop provided guidance on some key issues concerning the organization of innovation teams. It also discussed a possible roadmap for the future work of such teams and formation of an innovation team association. During the event, representatives from the previous two groups of national-level innovation teams shared their experience and lessons learned. In addition, trainees toured the Changzhou Science and Education Town.

Over 300 individuals participated in the workshop, including representatives from the MOE’s Department of Teacher Education, the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, and the third group of national-level innovation teams.