Chenzhou, a strategic hub connecting central China and the southern coastal regions, has long grappled with talent shortages and skills gaps amid its economic transformation. To address structural mismatches between labor supply and demand, the city has prioritized vocational education, ensuring it moves in tandem with industrial growth. Currently, 83.6% of secondary vocational school programs and 75.0% of higher vocational college programs align with local key industries. Over recent years, vocational institutions have trained over 100,000 individuals, supplying more than 60,000 skilled professionals to regional industries.

**Linking Programs to Industrial Chains: A Unified Regional Strategy** At Chenzhou Vocational Technical College’s New Energy Battery Technology Research Center, instructor Sun Huapeng conducts cutting-edge research while training industry employees. "Local new energy firms are expanding rapidly, creating a huge demand for skilled talent," he notes. Two years ago, the college pioneered a New Energy School and launched a specialized program in new energy materials, complemented by the research center. Dean Chen Xiangrong reports that the school has trained over 1,000 professionals for Chenzhou’s lithium battery sector, while the center supports 20+ local enterprises like Hunan Greep New Energy, bridging lab innovations with production.

This exemplifies Chenzhou’s broader strategy. Aligning with Hunan’s "4×4" and Chenzhou’s "1221" industrial frameworks, vocational schools have streamlined programs—phasing out 8 outdated courses in 2024 while adding 8 emerging ones, with 83.6% of programs now targeting local pillar industries. Higher vocational colleges have similarly optimized offerings, introducing majors like lithium battery tech, low-altitude economy, and AI to match booming sectors. Over two years, 19 low-efficiency programs were discontinued, 7 saturated ones downsized, and 22 new ones launched, ensuring precise alignment with industry needs.

**Localized Talent Pipelines** In Jiahe County, famed for casting and forging, vocational schools added mold manufacturing and industrial robotics programs to meet demand for eco-friendly and automated production skills, training 600+ workers—half employed locally. Linwu County’s gemstone industry spurred a jewelry processing and marketing program, graduating 400+ specialists. Yongxing County’s vocational school cultivated 500+ metallurgy technicians for its silver industry, while Anren County’s new herbal medicine program addresses agricultural needs.

**Skills Training Fuels Household Prosperity** Rucheng County’s "Skills for All" initiative transformed lives like Zhu Xiaohong’s, a former poverty-stricken villager turned restaurant owner. Since 2018, integrated vocational training—spanning e-commerce, hospitality, and trades—has reached 100,000+ participants, with a 92.6% employment rate. Zixing City’s "One Household, One Skilled Worker" program trained 81,000 people, creating 32,000 jobs and lifting 38,000 families. Guiyang County’s "Farmer College" program produced 1,427 graduates, including 196 industry leaders.

**School-Enterprise Integration: Talent Cultivation Redefined** Chen Shihan, a graduate of Chenzhou Comprehensive Vocational School’s e-commerce program, exemplifies success. After excelling in JD.com’s campus training base during 2022’s "Double 11" sales, he joined JD as a trainer. The school’s partnership with JD.com—co-developing curricula and platforms—has placed 220 of 391 graduates in relevant jobs.

Chenzhou’s vocational schools employ three key models: 1. **Co-Cultivation**: Guiyang Vocational School’s 3,000 sqm training base with local electronics firms ensures 98.5% graduate employment, with 68% staying local. 2. **Shared Expertise**: Teachers like Peng Wei and Lei Ning at Jiahe Vocational School double as corporate consultants, while industry experts teach on campuses. In 2024 alone, 52 professionals lectured at schools. 3. **Collaborative Platforms**: The 2024-established Chenzhou Free Trade Zone New Materials and IT Industry-Education Alliance, uniting 107 entities, underscores deepened integration.

With 186 corporate partnerships, Chenzhou’s vocational schools now produce 5,000+ in-demand graduates annually via apprenticeships and tailored programs, cementing education as a driver of regional prosperity.