DIGITAL AND GREEN TRANSFORMATION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN CHINA

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and global climate action, the dual transformation—digital and green—has become a defining imperative for vocational education systems worldwide. China, operating the world's largest vocational education system, has embarked on an ambitious journey to integrate digital technologies and sustainable development principles into its vocational education and training (VET) framework. This article examines the digital and green transformation of vocational education in China from an educational administration perspective. It clarifies core concepts including digital transformation, green skills, and the twin transition, grounding them in socio-technical systems theory, human capital theory, and the UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development framework. The article synthesizes Chinese and international scholarship, identifying convergences, tensions, and gaps, and analyzes implications for educational policy, institutional governance, organizational management, leadership, teachers, and students. It further examines operationalization within Chinese vocational colleges through the National Smart Education Platform, virtual simulation training bases, and green skills curriculum integration. The article concludes that successful dual transformation hinges on coordinated governance, data-driven decision-making, industry-education integration, and the cultivation of digitally fluent and ecologically conscious educators and learners.