(Yicai) Sept. 19 -- A third of the contestants in the third Vocational Skills Competition of China, known as the country’s “Skills Olympics,” have university degrees, marking a notable shift toward higher-education participation.

University graduates make up 33 percent of the 3,420 contestants in this year’s event, Wu Liduo, an official at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, said at a press conference yesterday. Thirteen have doctoral degrees, 286 master’s degrees, and 843 bachelor's degrees.

Held every two years since 2020, the competition is taking place in Zhengzhou, Henan province, and will run through Sept. 23. A total of 106 sub-competitions will be held, more than half in intelligent manufacturing, high-end equipment, digital technology, and new energy, Wu said.

While contestants previously came mainly from junior colleges, this year has seen a surge in participants with bachelor’s degrees or higher, reflecting a shift in China’s vocational education focus from blue-collar training to the development of high-quality, interdisciplinary talent, according to Zhang Chenggang, director of the China New Employment Forms Research Center.

Wu noted that the rise in highly educated competitors, particularly in technology intensive fields, mirrors growing demand in China for vocationally skilled talent with advanced academic backgrounds as technology evolves.

Most of the contestants with doctoral degrees are teachers and researchers at vocational and technical colleges, while those with master’s degrees are mainly employed in research and development roles or as front-line staff at high-tech firms, Yicai learned from the event organizers.

The participation of highly educated entrants demonstrates the deepening fusion of vocational education and technological innovation, Zhang said, adding that skills are no longer seen as purely manual, but as the intersection of knowledge, technique and innovation.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Emmi Laine