Paper Title
ENABLING TVM TALENT DEVELOPMENT IN ABA PREFECTURE: THE ROLE OF TVET INSTITUTIONS UNDER NEW QUALITY PRODUCTIVE FORCES

Abstract
This study addresses the critical challenge of Traditional Veterinary Medicine (TVM) talent shortages in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (Aba Prefecture), an underdeveloped ethnic region in western China, exploring effective pathways for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions to empower sustainable talent cultivation for the region’s distinctive TVM industry under the New Quality Productive Forces (NQP) paradigm. Emphasizing innovation-driven and high-quality development as core tenets of NQP, the research examines the structural talent deficits and competency gaps hindering the preservation of traditional knowledge, adoption of modern technologies, and industrial upgrading within Aba’s TVM sector. Through in-depth analysis of regional industry demands, existing educational resources, and the current talent landscape, the paper systematically investigates how TVET institutions can serve as pivotal enablers via multifaceted strategies. These strategies include: reforming curricula and developing resources deeply integrated with regional characteristics (Tibetan and Qiang medicine) and modern technologies (e.g., biotechnology, smart animal husbandry); establishing collaborative "government-institution-industry-enterprise" education platforms and industry-education integration bases closely aligned with industrial and innovation chains; innovating diverse teaching models and evaluation systems that blend the essence of traditional mentorship with modern vocational education principles; and strengthening quality education focused on local cultural identity and professional ethics. Findings demonstrate that these systemic empowerment strategies enable TVET institutions not only to significantly enhance the quality, relevance, and scale of TVM talent cultivation—effectively alleviating regional shortages—but also to drive the green, digital, and intelligent transformation of Aba’s TVM industry, facilitating the protective development and high-value conversion of its unique resources. Ultimately, this study provides a transferable model for constructing a regional characteristic industry talent cultivation ecosystem, powered by TVET and oriented towards NQP, offering significant theoretical and practical insights for promoting rural revitalization in ethnic regions, advancing the modernization of traditional medicine, and ensuring the sustainable development of eco-husbandry. Keywords - New Quality Productive Forces (NQP), TVET institutions, Traditional Veterinary Medicine (TVM), Talent cultivation, Aba Prefecture, Industry-education integration, Ethnic regions, Rural revitalization.