BEIJING, Nov. 8(Xinhuanet)-- Chinese Vice-Premier Huang Ju on Tuesday asked various localities and departments to vigorously promote vocational education, saying it's very important to economic and social development.

"China is in a key period of accelerated industrialization, urbanization and modernization. Vigorously promoting vocational education is of great importance to boosting economic development,increasing employment and improving the quality of the workers," Huang said at the closing of a national conference held here on the issue.

The conference aims at making arrangements for advancing China's vocational education in the new era.

Huang asked various localities and departments to draft and carry out plans on strengthening vocational education.

Businesses of various sorts of ownership should also beef up vocational training, he said.

He also demanded vocational education institutes carry out reforms to improve the effects of education.

"The whole society should also nurture an atmosphere of treasuring and respecting technical workers," he said.

At the same conference, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Monday that the State Council, or the Chinese cabinet, plans to earmark 10 billion yuan(about 1.23 billion US dollars) in the coming five years to support vocational education.

He said that the development of vocational education will be included in the country's 11th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development.

He said China should strengthen the development of vocational education to convert its huge population pressure into an advantage of human resources.

China's development needs not only a large number of scientists,engineers and economic management talents, but also millions of laborers with high techniques and abilities, he said. Enditem