Recently, the Ministry of Education officially announced the results of the 10th Ministry of Education Outstanding Achievement Award in Scientific Research (Humanities and Social Sciences) (Jiao She Ke [2026] No. 1). A total of 1,499 achievements nationwide received awards. The paper “How Vocational Education Supports the Development of a Skill-Based Society: A National Sample Survey from the Perspective of Skills Development”, authored by the research team led by Xu Jianling, Party Secretary of SZPU, together with Wang Xing, Li Liangli, QingZhongquan, and Bian Fei, received the Third Prize of the 10th Ministry of Education Outstanding Achievement Award in Scientific Research (Humanities and Social Sciences).

This achievement is one of the research outcomes of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Strategic Research and Consulting Project “Research on Building a Modern Vocational Education System Supporting the Development of a Skill-Based Society”, led by Xu Jianling. The paper was first published inResearch in Higher Education of Engineering, Issue 4, 2024, and was reproduced in full inXinhua Digest, Issue 1, 2025. Based on a sample survey of vocational institutions, enterprises, and relevant government authorities in 14 provinces and municipalities across eastern, central, and western China, the paper conducts an in-depth analysis of key challenges faced by China’s vocational education in supporting the development of a skill-based society. It puts forward practical policy recommendations with important theoretical and practical significance for enhancing the adaptability of vocational education, supporting the development of a skill-based society, and advancing Chinese-style modernization in a country with a huge population and a goal of common prosperity for all.

Established through the integration of the former “Outstanding Achievement Award in Scientific Research (Humanities and Social Sciences) of Higher Education Institutions” and the former “National Outstanding Achievement Award in Educational Science Research”, the Ministry of Education Outstanding Achievement Award in Scientific Research (Humanities and Social Sciences) is a major initiative to recognize outstanding achievements by scholars in philosophy and social sciences in the education sector, showcase major theoretical and practical achievements in serving national strategies, encourage rigorous scholarship, innovation, and the production of high-quality academic achievements, promote research and interpretation of the Party’s innovative theories, and advance the development of an independent knowledge system in Chinese philosophy and social sciences. The award is currently one of the most authoritative and influential awards in China’s philosophy and social sciences. It is generally presented every three years and has completed ten selection cycles to date. This award cycle recognized achievements produced between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2024.

(Institute of Technical and Vocational Education)