"Vocational High Schools Desired by Industry, Focused Development of 100 Schools"

Ministry of Education Announces 'Secondary Vocational Education Development Plan'

The government will focus on nurturing 100 schools desired by the industry to enhance the competitiveness of vocational high schools. It also plans to strengthen field relevance by promoting the participation of field experts in education.

Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, is announcing a comprehensive plan to restore and strengthen the protection of teachers' rights at the Government Seoul Office Annex on the 23rd. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

On the 24th, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho announced the 'Secondary Vocational Education Development Plan' at the Seoul Government Complex to cultivate technical talents who will lead the digital era.

Since the introduction of industry-demand tailored high schools (Meister High Schools) in 2008, secondary vocational education has presented a growth path of employment first, then further education. However, due to the sharp decline in applicants to specialized high schools and the increase in students undecided about their career paths, concerns have intensified. Therefore, the 'Secondary Vocational Education Development Plan' was established to secure a turning point for the advancement of secondary vocational education.

First, to create a virtuous cycle environment that raises the competitiveness of all vocational high schools by nurturing excellent vocational high school models, 100 schools desired by the field will be developed. A ‘Contract-type Specialized High School’ will be introduced, where local governments, companies, and specialized high schools collaborate to cultivate elite regional talents, with 35 schools to be developed by 2027. Additionally, Meister High Schools, the leading model of vocational education (54 schools designated and operating last year), will designate more than 10 additional schools focused on advanced fields by 2027 (including 3 designated this year) and strengthen evaluations every five years.

To enhance the capabilities of vocational high school students preparing for the digital era, digital understanding and utilization education at various levels will be strengthened through regular classes and after-school programs. Support for improving students’ basic academic skills will be provided by forming teacher research groups for general subjects in vocational high schools to develop customized teaching and learning methods and offering basic academic skill enhancement programs.

To enable more field-oriented education by having field experts such as Meister High School graduates participate in educational activities, the qualification requirements for industry-academic concurrent teachers will be relaxed based on their ‘career’ experience.

In response to the declining school-age population, comprehensive high schools (general high schools with vocational tracks) and small-scale vocational high schools will be encouraged to convert into hub specialized high schools. To activate industry-academia cooperation in vocational high schools, the operation of school companies and the attraction of companies within schools will be expanded to 100 schools by 2027. Furthermore, in cooperation with the Ministry of Employment and Labor and others, support will be provided so that students can receive practical training in industrial sites with guaranteed safety.

In line with changes in corporate hiring methods such as rolling recruitment, students will be supported in employment and career planning for one year after graduation. The introduction and expansion of a career planning period (bridge year) will be implemented centered on currently operating follow-up management hub schools for high school graduates, diversifying growth paths as technical talents through various secondary-to-tertiary linked programs and expanded overseas training opportunities.

To strengthen the accountability of national and local governments in vocational education, efforts will also be made to provide institutional support for quality vocational education, including the establishment of legal provisions for promoting employment and follow-up management of vocational high school graduates.

Deputy Prime Minister Lee said, “I hope this plan will serve as an opportunity for secondary vocational education to take a leap forward,” and added, “The Ministry of Education will continue to communicate with metropolitan and provincial offices of education and educational sites to ensure that the tasks presented this time are firmly established in the field.”

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