China and the UK's Higher Vocational Education and Training (HVET) students' post-college transition after Covid-19

Higher vocational education and training (HVET) students are experiencing more complex and high-risk transitions than previous generations in the context of the impact of COVID-19 in many countries. This article reports on the experiences of 20 HVET students from four colleges in China regarding their post-college transitions, comparing them to the UK situation to explore the gap between the two countries. A qualitative research approach of semi-structured follow-up interviews was used to collect primary data from students from China. The UK context was explored through a literature review, subsequently interpreted using the conceptual framework of transition theory.

The main findings include that the socioeconomic background and curriculum are crucial for affecting HVET students’ transition in both countries. In terms of the differences, China’s students are experiencing more challenges from the social stigmatisation on the HVET identity, and broader barriers which are reflected in several aspects posed by the COVID-19. By contrast, the racism in the UK society continues to produce serious structural issues and inequalities for non-White HVET students during their transitions (Lessard-Phillips et al, 2014; Hooley et al, 2023).