Vocational education is vital in today's economy, where skilled workers are in short supply, but biases against it remain, according to education experts and students in interviews with CGTN on Thursday in China's Tianjin Municipality.

"Technical, vocational (education) provides opportunities to everyone," said James Llewellyn, director of Worldwide Operations at NPTC Group of Colleges from the UK.

Llewellyn and other participants were in Tianjin to take part in the 2024 World Vocational and Technical Education Development Conference.

However, most participants CGTN spoke to admitted that biases that put vocational education below regular education still exist and need to be addressed.

Vocational education, which delivers practical and hands-on skills for students, offers substantial economic benefits both for individuals and the broader economy. 

According to a 2022 joint study by the World Bank, the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the need for well-performing technical and vocational education is even greater to ensure smooth job transitions in the context of rapidly changing labor markets and evolving skills needs due to globalization, technological progress, demographic transformation and climate change.

(Cover image designed by CGTN's Li Yuezhi)