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The Chinese economy is now a major driver of growth in the world economy. As a consequence, significant reforms were introduced which impacted on its educational systems. China is facing unprecedented pressure to produce skilled individuals to meet the demands of this rapid growth. China is in the unique position of operating in a dual system, within a market economy on the one hand, and within the remnants of a command-control bureaucratic system on the other. This curriculum research/review was undertaken at an international design and business higher vocational college located in central Shanghai during 2005/2006. The purpose of the research was to align graduate outcomes better with employer demand, and to seek employers' perceptions about future trends. The sample included key stakeholders of the college, that is: employers; students and graduates; and academic staff. A survey design was used which sought both qualitative and quantitative information from the sample. This article will focus on employers' perspectives of graduate outcomes and future trends. Employers perceived positive attitudes and behaviours, for example, working cooperatively with others; being responsible and adaptable; the ability to resolve conflict; communicating effectively in oral and written English; and a strong commitment to learning continuously, as extremely important qualities in graduates. Some of the more 'appropriate attitudes and abilities' such as 'being responsible and adaptable' were perceived by researchers as being consistent with a commandcontrol system, rather than a market economy. The research literature illustrates that there is a widening divide between how foreign-owned enterprises and State or private Chinese organisations use the education system. Employers also possess low expectations of the types of skills new employees would possess at the higher vocational education entry level.

Reports on the evaluation of a programme which was designed to enable students to complete a traineeship or apprenticeship, and their senior certificate in accordance with a variety of combined school and work programmes, including the New Apprenticeship Scheme. A multimethod approach was adopted which includes interviews with students, vocational educators and employers regarding their perceptions of: competencies, learning outcomes and training acquired during the programme. The results of the interviews with the students illustrated some similar and different perceptions between teachers and students, and showed that students’ main reason for undertaking the vocational education programme were the opportunity to gain “hands on” experience, and a “headstart” to employment. Implications for further research included: an investigation into the perceived status barrier between vocational and general education, the development of work attitudes; and the implementation of a strategic business and marketing plan.

The growing number of government-sourced reports on improving economic performance of the nation through a carefully-orchestrated National Training Reform Agenda have used the concept of competence as a central plank in their philosophy. All of these reports draw on a rationalistic perspective of competence that is built around designated behavioural outcomes. These outcomes are established in a dualistic way. An alternative approach is to use a humanistic approach to competence in which the concept of competence is explained in terms of workers' experiences of competence within their workplaces. A study is reported here of working with 52 people in the clerical-administrative industry in order to establish their conceptions of competence in clerical-administrative workers. A phemenographic analysis was conducted on the written statements that were prepared by these participants. This non-dualistic investigation revealed five qualitatively different conceptions of competence in clerical-administrative workers. These are: competence as the development of basic skills; competence as the possession of essential knowledge about the job; competence as the possession of personal attributes; competence exhibited as an efficient worker; and competence displayed as a flexible, holistic thinker.

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