What does 头 mean in 奔头 and 盼头?

Question

Today in my stroll of the campus I saw a post saying 让职业教育有学头，有奔头，有盼头, that highly interested and confused me at the same time, especially the word 头 repeated three times. Does it mean a target, like in a game where a head of an Indian or an animal put before the shooter(by the way, I do not play games myself, that is simply what I imagine to be so)?

Answer 1

Looks like things written on a red banner in big yellow characters

Words have various meanings. We can glean the meaning from the context perhaps. This sounds like propaganda with a complex inference. The writer knows his or her job!

头：事情的开端 beginning
头：物的两端或末梢: middle
头：物的两端或末梢: end

学头：reason for studying: literally study, beginning
奔头：prospects, light at the end of the tunnel: literally rush around time: middle
盼头：hope: literally where you are looking: end

让职业教育有学头，有奔头，有盼头。
Let vocational training have reason (for studying), have prospects, have hope!

Or 学头发：study hair :)

Answer 2

These are slogans used in recent decisions to promote the images and quality of the "vocational education" in China, by the Ministry of Education. Below are my interpretations:

有学头 - has tangible knowledge/skills worth learning. (有 - 致用的教材)

有奔头 - has a future worth pursuing. (有 - 出路/前途/發展的舞台)

有盼头 - has good prospects worth hoping for. (有 - 希望)

Note: In these cases, 头 together with the verb that proceeds it forms a noun. Example: 念头 (idea/thought/intention).

Further reading: 职业教育，要让学生有学头有盼头有奔头

Answer 3

头 is used to form nouns, such as 木头，石头. It means “kind of things”, “matters”, or “something related”.