Abstract: In this paper, the correlation between the scale of higher education and high-tech manufacturing industries is discussed. The scale of higher education and high-tech manufacturing industries are measured by the number of students studying in higher educational institutions and industrial added value of the high-tech manufacturing industries that are above a designated size, respectively. The study is done by using the data from Guangdong Province during the years from 2004 to 2009. Results indicate that the number of students in higher educational institutions is directly proportional to the industrial added value of high-tech manufacturing industries. A unary linear regression model can describe this relationship well. Thus, the government may increase investment to recruit more college students for some relative specialties so as to stimulate the development of high-tech manufacturing industries in Guangdong Province.

Key words: high-tech manufacturing industry, higher education scale, linear regression