Shandong province in East China has launched a slew of measures to expand its skilled workforce and carry forward the spirit of model workers and craftsmanship in order to advance local social and economic development, local media reported.

Workers spin yarn at a foreign-invested tarp manufacturing unit in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo by YU FANGPING/for CHINA DAILY]

Skilled industrial workers play an important role in promoting technological progress, industrial upgrading, and high-quality services, according to local officials.

Shandong has been working to improve its training system for skilled workers, create a more favorable environment for workers, help workers increase their skills, and build a skilled workforce so as to boost employment, entrepreneurship, and innovation in the province and ensure high-quality economic growth.

According to official statistics, Shandong is currently home to 13.41 million skilled workers, among whom 3.3 million are highly skilled. Both figures rank among the top in China.

In 2020, the province increased its skilled workforce by 1.06 million, ranking first in the country.

It also recently launched 22 measures to cultivate high-caliber workers, improve vocational skills, and encourage the pursuit of fine workmanship.

In addition, Shandong will take measures to improve its training system for skilled workers, and every city in the province will launch training courses for talents with skills that are in short supply.

Employees of enterprises will be encouraged to participate in training courses for technicians and senior technicians.

Furthermore, the province will accelerate the innovative development of vocational education to better meet requirements for local industrial development.

It will develop 10 high-quality schools for technical education within the next five years, and each will receive 5 million yuan ($773,000) in subsidies.

In addition, it will cultivate 30 competitive specialties for technical education, and each will receive 2 million yuan in subsidies.

The province will also build 100 new workstations for skilled professionals within the next five years, each of which will receive 200,000 yuan in subsidies.

Special vocational assessments will be carried out as well, and the province will integrate local industries, rural revitalization, new business forms, new industries, and intangible cultural heritage inheritance projects to develop specialized vocational assessment projects and facilitate local development.