| Abstract: | This paper examines the economic rationale for the current vocationalization of secondary education in China by comparing the performance of vocational education graduates and general education graduates in the workplace. It uses a model that recognizes the importance of work effort and group dynamics on production, employs a more direct measure of productivity, and presents an empirical study in the context of the current educational and workplace reforms in China. Based on data from the Beijing Auto Industry Company, China, the study finds that vocational-technical education graduates engaged in factory work relevant to their previous training were more satisfied with their job and were more productive than general education graduates. It also found that a worker's education had a lesser impact on productivity when the worker performed in a more co-operative environment. |
