On September 16, 2014 the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in close cooperation with the Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China organised the "Sino-German Dialogue Forum on Vocational Education and Employment" in Beijing, China.

The conference brought together more than 250 Chinese and German policy makers, professionals from vocational education institutions, researchers, and finance experts who presented and discussed innovative solutions for Sino-German cooperation to improve China’s vocational education system.

The conference provided a platform for dialogue and exchange of knowledge and practical experience. Major themes of the conference included opportunities and challenges of demand-driven and labour-market oriented education such as public-private-partnership approaches and different forms of cooperation between educational institutions and the private sector. The conference further explored financing options for vocational education, and expand using Chinese and German best practice examples.