Author(s)

Yang Jiayi

Corresponding Author

Yang Jiayi

Abstract

Artificial intelligence skills development is a national priority which is now taken by governments in the world and vocational education is taking the center stage in this change. The paper constructs a four-layer AI skill model, which comprises foundation literacy, application practice, innovation creation, and governance ethics, and applies it to examine how five leading economies (European Union, China, the United States, Singapore and Germany) incorporate AI skills into their systems of vocational education. The discussion is based on national policy documents, standards of curriculum to review each system in seven dimensions (policy maturity, curriculum integration, industry alignment, teacher readiness, infrastructure investment, ethics governance, and student outcomes). Findings indicate that Singapore and the EU are leading in structured integration of curriculum, China has invested most in infrastructure and fallen behind in ethics governance and United States has been relying on market-based policies that bring about disparate access. The dual-system model in Germany is the most successful in terms of industry alignment but with very slow adoption of AI-specific content. This paper has noted three structural gaps that cut across the five systems: the gap between training AI tools and critical AI thinking, a lack of teachers who can train in AI in a vocational setting, and a lack of portable AI skill credentials that are cross-border. The suggested framework offers a viable blueprint to policy makers interested in creating AI skill systems that will be economically competitive and socially just.

Keywords

Artificial Intelligence Skills; Vocational Education; National Policy; Competency Framework; Digital Transformation; Comparative Education