自十八世紀工業革命發生後，西方社會產生了急遽的變化。新的生產方式必需要有新知識與新技術的人才加以配合，這也使得西方的人才培育有了新的發展方向，職業教育(Vocational Education)即是因應此種環境下所產生的教育體制。 十九世紀中葉後，中國在內外交侵的情況下，社會經濟文化等各方面也開始了一連串的變動，新的觀念不斷衝擊著傳統中國，舊有的教育制度受到抨擊，新的人才觀念因應而起，實業教育也在一連串的改革變動中被帶進中國來。實業教育的推展主要目標在使中國經濟得到發展，國家得以因此富強，但此套制度的推行後卻發現整體社會經濟並未隨之發展，反而出現人才不能為社會所用的窘境，以教育作為社會引導的理想顯然未能實現。在實業教育倍受檢討的過程中，開始有知識分子提出職業教育的理念，認為教育推行應該要符合社會現狀，個人生計滿足後社會經濟才得以發展。從實業教育轉化為職業教育代表著知識分子對於教育與社會發展關係已有不同看法。本文藉由晚清實業觀念與實業教育思想的提出，藉以瞭解近代中國對於社會經濟觀念的轉變；同時也藉由實業學堂的設置及畢業生出路情形，對於教育與社會發展之間的關係進行討論，並以日本實業教育發展做為參酌，將兩者關係進行更深入的了解。 / After the Industrial Revolution occurred in 18th Century, western society had been changed abruptly. New manufacture mechanism required new knowledge and new techniques cooperated. It conducted the western countries a new direction of talent cultivation. After the middle period of 19th century, China suffered from the upheaval caused by both homeland and foreign countries. The late empire was impelled to begin a series of alteration. Meanwhile, as the influences of western ideology, the traditional education system was getting criticism. The society needed all kinds of talents, therefore, the industrial education was conducted to improve the occasion. The intellectuals relied on the developing of industrial education to save empire, not only for the heavy industry but also the light one, thus the economics of the country could be improved. But the results fell short of expectations. Many graduates of industrial schools could not find jobs and also the economics did not have bettered. The ideal that the new educational system implemented in order to elevate the development of country economics was disillusioned. In this situation, some intellectuals changed their avocation from industrial education to vocational education, which emphasizes the importance of the consistency between educational practice and social demands. And the country economics would grow up after the people could satisfy their livelihood. Because of the transition from industrial education to vocational education, it represented the Chinese intellectuals had had different mind on the relationship between the development of modern society and education implement.