Training Professional Stenographers in the Jiangxi Justice Police Vocational College in China

A school for the training of new judicial assistants

In this article, I will introduce the training of stenographers in the Jiangxi Justice Police Vocational College in China. The Jiangxi Justice Police Vocational College is a public higher vocational college in the field of justice that offers a total of 21 majors mainly in the fields of police and law. Among them, there is the legal secretarial major, which trains judicial assistants. It is a key major of both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance and is aimed at cultivating judicial auxiliary specialists both within and outside Jiangxi province in China.

In China, judicial assistants are professionals who engage in specific work in the judicial field. They work as assistants to judges and lawyers, playing an important supportive role in judicial work. A representative example of these professions is the court clerk. Court clerks are responsible for recording relevant information during court hearings and for drafting court documents and rulings, among other things, to ensure that the case materials are complete and accurate.

In the first half of 2023, there were more than 210,000 judges in Chinese courts and procuratorates, and as many as about 38% of them did not have clerks. This means that there is practically a shortage of about 80,000 court clerks in China, and therefore there is a serious need to train new professional stenographers.

Organising the training of professional stenographers

In order to meet the requirements for training judicial assistants, we had to determine what kind of people to train, what skills they needed, and how to train them. To achieve this, we made an analysis of talent needs. We also determined the training objectives and specifications for professionals.

Based on our vocational ability analysis, we established a curriculum system and standards for Chinese stenographic skills. We also determined the content for the training. Based on the cognitive analysis of the students, we constructed optimal teaching models, developed useful teaching resources, and created practical teaching scenarios.

At the same time, a general training path for judicial assistants has been determined. The training path determines which schools and enterprises in the judicial industry jointly explore and implement new training models. By developing a reasonable and scientific curriculum system and utilising the curriculum resources of both schools and enterprises, the training has been directly aimed to meet the talent gap in the field of judicial assistants. In this process, the goals and directions of stenography training and the needs of the judicial professions have been further clarified.

Encouraging results

Through research and training, our college has achieved significant results in teaching Chinese stenography skills to future judicial assistants in China. In the National Vocational College Stenography Skills Competition, our students have won many awards and more than 60 medals. In addition to this, 200 of our students have obtained stenography skill certificates from the National Ministry of Education. Also, the number of students who have obtained stenography certificates from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China has reached 100. This means that our former students are now spreading throughout the judicial system, both inside and outside Jiangxi province. Their stenography skills and their comprehensive competence in their profession have been widely recognised by society.

Aims for the future

In the future, we aim to develop the training in our college in several ways. First, we want to enhance the competitiveness of our college’s legal secretarial programme further. On the one hand, this means increasing our social recognition. By participating in international competitions and achieving outstanding results, we can enhance the programme’s social recognition and increase students’ and parents’ trust and interest in the programme. On the other hand, we have to strengthen students’ sense of belonging. By showcasing professional skills on the international stage, we can enhance students’ sense of professional pride and belonging, thereby attracting more potential students to choose the programme.

Secondly, we aim to further promote the professional growth of our teachers. This means improving their skills: teachers who participate in the competition and guide their students can further promote their own teaching and practical abilities by learning the latest speed reporting skills and research trends. In addition, we want to enhance teachers’ international vision: teachers who participate in international competitions have the opportunity to have exchanges with international peers, broaden their horizons, and learn about the latest trends and standards in international speed recording education.

Thirdly, we will continuously reform the content and methods of teaching speed reporting. The standards and requirements of international competitions can serve as a reference, making the course content closer to the frontier of the industry and market demand. Participation in international competitions will also emphasise practical abilities and innovative thinking, guiding teachers to adopt more practice-oriented and student-centered teaching methods.

Lastly, we aim to strengthen international cooperation and exchange. We want to expand our cooperation opportunities. Participating in international competitions can serve as an opportunity to establish cooperative relationships with peers in speed recording education in other countries, promoting the sharing of educational resources and academic exchanges. Also, winning awards in international competitions can enhance the international reputation of the school and the programme, attracting more international students and partners.

Vocational education bears the important responsibility of cultivating diverse talents, inheriting technical and vocational skills, and promoting employment and entrepreneurship. By summarising the experience of international competitions, we will seize this opportunity to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with international peers. We will also actively respond to the challenges brought by AI and other modern technologies and continuously enhance our innovative capabilities and core competence.

Zhao Weike is the Vice President of the Jiangxi Justice Police Vocational College of China.