1. What are the differences between high school education and university education?
High school education is quite broad and contains education in a large number of subjects. It’s often compulsory to study core subjects such as math, science, English and Chinese. This prepares all high-school students with a wide range of basic understanding. University education is much more specialized and students can choose most of their classes. If you want to study 16th century pottery then you can. The work is a lot more in-depth at university level as students choose a subject that they find particularly fascinating. Of course, the work is also a lot harder as universities educate at a higher level than high-school does.
2. In high school in China, are there many opportunities for you to gain practical work experience?
What about in university? For the high school students, there aren’t many opportunities for them to gain practical work experience, because here in China academic study is really important for the students if they want to go to universities. They spend most of their time studying for tests and therefore there isn’t much time for them to get a part time job or to gain other social experience. For university students it’s different. In university, there are many student leagues and social work opportunities, and sometimes students’ grades are related with their practical work experience: the more social work they do, then the better grade they have. This is great for both students and society.
3. What skills do you think are most important for young school leavers?
If someone leaves school and wants to enter the world of work straight away then they need skills that show they have maturity and are willing to take responsibility. The number one skill is punctuality: being able to show up on time. If an employee is always late or takes many days off work then they are seen as unreliable and are unlikely to be promoted. They may even be fired. Without this basic skill then it’s very difficult to be taken seriously. It’s also important to be enthusiastic and adaptable to new situations. Working can be very different to studying and you need to be able to adapt to a new situation and be enthusiastic about your work.
4. What work skills do you think will be most important in the future?
It seems obvious now that computers will continue to play a vital role in all areas of the economy for the foreseeable future. If you cannot use a computer than a large number of jobs are off-limits to you. Computer skills will be essential in the future as more and more jobs require a computer to be done effectively. The information technology sector has seen phenomenal growth over the past few years and this is not likely to stop any time soon. As more and more workplaces become fully integrated with computers then computer specialists will also be in greater demand as these systems need to be maintained and set up.
