Robotics, drone technology and 3D printing are among new courses of study being added at China's vocational colleges to meet the needs for skilled workers in the "Made in China 2025" and "Internet Plus" initiatives, the Ministry of Education said.

Education experts sent by the ministry visited and surveyed more than 1,000 businesses and nearly 13,000 vocational programs all over the country before making the changes.

"These disciplines are added, targeting the new products, new technology and new types of businesses, to tackle the talent need in the middle and high end of the industrial value chain," the ministry said on Monday.

The updated manufacturing curriculum list includes industrial robotics, applied technology on the Internet of Things, applied technology for unmanned aerial vehicles and 3D printing.

Coursework needed by graduates working for the mobile Internet industry also will be available at vocational colleges in the future, including applied technology for the mobile Internet, technology applications for intelligent transportation and cloud computing technology and applications.

The additions, which mark a major update to the 2004 vocational college discipline directory, show how "social and economic situations, as well as the needs for vocational education, have changed a lot over the past decade," the ministry said.