The Ministry of Education Tuesday announced plans to accelerate the reform of engineering talent training by promoting the establishment of national graduate college for elite engineers at more than half of all institutions offering engineering master's and doctoral degrees by 2030.

Hao Tongliang, deputy head of the Ministry's Department of Degree Management and Postgraduate Education, said the reform aims to expand the proportion of students enrolled in these specialized colleges from the current 4 percent to 20 percent of all engineering graduate students nationwide.

The ministry will release the training standards of elite engineers in the second half of this year and launch pilot accreditation work for elite engineers colleges, which will be supported by an improved industry-education integration model for engineering graduate programs.

It will also promote the construction of four national elite engineer innovation institutes in Beijing, Shanghai, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. These institutes are expected to help train talent that can meet the innovation needs of small and medium-sized enterprises specializing in niche industries.

Hao stressed the need to move beyond limited pilot programs and launch broader reforms across all 67 professional degree categories, including accurately aligning talent development with industry needs and expanding the initiative to undergraduate engineering programs.

China will continue to invite top international engineering experts to participate in graduate education and building platforms for regular exchanges between Chinese and foreign faculty and students, Hao said.

Meanwhile, the country plans to establish national graduate college for elite engineers overseas and promote international recognition of its training standards, he added.