On a certain date, netizens from Dalian, Liaoning, released multiple images and text exposing that Dalian Shipping Vocational and Technical College is forcing students to apply for certificates, with a registration fee of 1000 yuan per certificate. Chat screenshots show, "This is the school's latest graduation policy," "No matter which one, you must take one, not taking it means you cannot graduate."

On the morning of the day, the reporter contacted Dalian Shipping Vocational and Technical College. An official from the college stated, "There is no compulsion for students to obtain certificates at our school. We merely provide a convenient platform to help students secure better employment opportunities in the future. We have not explicitly stated that this is linked to graduation; it is simply an additional tool for students to open doors in their careers."

Netizen exposes chat screenshots. Image/Internet

The controversial "certification" at the school refers to the "" certificate in the "+" certificate. In the year, the pilot of the "+" certificate system for vocational education was launched. "" represents the academic certificate, while "" represents several vocational skill level certificates. The head of the Department of Vocational Education and Adult Education at the Ministry of Education introduced that combining the academic certificate with vocational skill level certificates to explore and implement the "+" certificate system is an important reform deployment and a significant innovation in the "National Vocational Education Reform Implementation Plan".

The "Pilot Scheme for Implementing the 'Academic Certificate + Several Vocational Skill Level Certificates' System in Institutions of Higher Education," jointly issued by the Ministry of Education, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, and the State Administration for Market Regulation, indicates that starting from the beginning, the focus will be on serving national needs, market demands, and enhancing students' employability, starting from around 100 vocational skill areas, and steadily advancing the pilot work for the "+" certificate system. The pilot institutions mainly include higher vocational schools, secondary vocational schools (excluding technical schools), as well as undergraduate-level vocational education pilot schools, application-oriented undergraduate universities, and the National Open University, among others, actively participating.

The official website indicates that Dalian Shipping Vocational and Technical College was established with the approval of the People's Government of Liaoning Province in the year, and is a higher vocational institution primarily focused on cultivating high-quality technical and skilled talents in the fields of water transportation and marine engineering equipment.