Entrepreneurship education in Chinese higher institutions: challenges and strategies for vocational colleges

Abstract

The recent economic success of China has been largely driven by the entrepreneurial potential cultivated within its education sectors. However, higher education institutions’ efforts in fostering entrepreneurship and innovation seem not to meet employees’ expectations. Among issues of entrepreneurship education at China universities and vocational colleges are incomprehensive teaching content and students’ weak innovative ideas. Thus, an urgent examination of entrepreneurial education within Chinese higher education is necessary. Through a systematic literature review, this study explores the evolution of entrepreneurial education within Chinese higher education institutions, with a particular focus on vocational colleges. Drawing upon past studies, this study proposes strategic interventions to enhance the entrepreneurship curriculum, including the integration of practical experiences, strengthening teacher competency, fostering industry-academic partnerships, and digitalizing educational approaches. Ultimately, it advocates for a comprehensive reform to align entrepreneurial education programmes with the evolving needs of China’s entrepreneurial system, thus ensuring the cultivation of a new generation of innovative and enterprising individuals to drive economic prosperity.

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship
• entrepreneurial education
• entrepreneurship programmes
• innovation
• vocational college
• quality education