China is intensifying efforts to develop a new generation of talent aligned with the country's strategic science and technology goals and evolving industry needs, Education Minister Huai Jinpeng said on Wednesday after the opening meeting of the third session of the 14th National People's Congress.

The rapid emergence of new technologies, exemplified by a surge of interest in the large language model DeepSeek and robotics, underscores both the challenges and opportunities for education reform, Huai said.

"We should focus on technological development and national strategic needs, enhance innovation capabilities, optimize higher education and adjust discipline structures and talent cultivation models," he said.

The Government Work Report, delivered by Premier Li Qiang at the opening meeting of the NPC, the nation's top legislature, highlights the need for a highly skilled workforce. It also pledges to develop experts in strategically important fields and expand efforts to train top-tier innovators and urgently needed personnel in key areas.

To strengthen the integration of education, science and industry, China is expanding its Outstanding Engineer Education and Training program. Huai said that 40 national-level academies have been established, with more than 2,000 chief engineers and 10,000 enterprise engineers collaborating with universities to codevelop curricula and mentor students.

China is accelerating the development of fundamental disciplines and emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, new energy and new materials. The initiative to cultivate top talent in mathematics, computer science and other core areas vital to technological innovation will be promoted, Huai said.

The Ministry of Education aims to establish demonstration zones for industry-education integration, leveraging the strengths of leading universities and research institutions, he said.

Huai also noted that "vocational education made a considerable contribution to the development of the country's modern manufacturing".

Zhang Yunkai, vice-president of Hebei Jiaotong Vocational and Technical College, said the structure of vocational education programs needs to be more adaptable to align with industrial and regional development.

Vocational colleges often struggle to accurately grasp industry development trends and the needs of enterprises, leading to a disconnect between program offerings and market demand, said Zhang, who is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body.

"There is still an information gap between schools and enterprises or industries," Zhang said, adding that local governments are expected to establish an information-sharing mechanism involving regional industry development and talent supply and demand.

"Based on regional economic development plans and emerging industry trends, they should conduct statistical analysis and forecasting on the scale and level of skilled-talent demand, while regularly releasing relevant information," he said.

Education Minister Huai said a national monitoring system will track supply-and-demand trends for students with different academic degrees, including vocational education, ensuring that reforms keep pace with technological and industrial development.

"The education system should not only adapt, but also appropriately stay ahead of technological changes," he said.

China is committed to fostering talent to drive scientific and technological innovation while contributing to national development and global progress, Huai said.