Vocational Education with AI: Focusing on Industry Needs and Skill Transformation in China

This chapter examines vocational education with AI, focusing on industry needs and skill transformation in China. In the context of globalization and economic transformation, the construction of a skilled society has become a key strategic priority for China. Vocational education, as a crucial pathway for cultivating skilled talents, has gained significant importance. With the rapid development of AI and the advancement of the education power strategy, China’s vocational education has entered a critical period of transformation. This chapter, centered on the “Double High Project”, examines vocational education policies, analyzes practical challenges, proposes reform measures, and validates the effectiveness through case studies. The “Double High Project” focuses on strategic industries such as AI, promoting industry–education integration and the implementation of the “1+X Certificate” system, but faces resource bottlenecks, professional rigidity, and shallow school–enterprise cooperation during its implementation. To address these issues, a systematic reform should be carried out from three aspects: dynamically adjusting AI-related majors, strengthening practical teaching, and improving the “1+X Certificate” system. Case studies of Qingdao Harbor Vocational College and Tianjin Vocational University show that the reform can significantly enhance the quality of talent cultivation and employment rates. In conclusion, building a dynamic, open, and collaborative modern vocational education system can alleviate the shortage of AI talents, support the construction of an education power and a skilled society, and facilitate the transformation to an “intelligent power” country.