State Grid employees check railway power supply equipment in Yantai, Shandong province. [TANG KE/FOR CHINA DAILY]

As the world's largest manufacturing country with the most complete industrial chains, China now employs some 402 million workers in various sectors, with some 60 percent in the industrial sector.

Among the 200 million plus industrial workers, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) said 77.6 percent are concentrated in manufacturing and construction spheres, with their education levels and technical skills improving significantly.

In the county-level city of Laizhou in East China's Shandong province, Shan Shaoyong is a shining example of a successful industrial worker after being recognized by the ACFTU as a national example, earning a May 1st Labor Medal and becoming a model worker as well as a master craftsman in the province.

"In addition to these honors, I have made 16 scientific and technological achievements, acquired nine patents and trained seven newcomers, so I feel extremely satisfied," Shan said.

The ACFTU has called for more industrial workers to upgrade themselves, and actively participate in labor and skill competitions with themes such as "being a good master, making contributions in the new era", "making contributions to the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and forging ahead in a new journey".

Laizhou has established a "golden seed" talent training mechanism, guiding frontline workers to master work skills, practice unique procedures and do unique jobs — attributes which have led to nearly 200 patents of various types.

The workers' innovative achievements, such as creating and utilizing metal cluster formaldehyde-removing materials, have filled some technical gaps in the country, said Gao Kerong, director of the Trade Union Work Department at the Laizhou Federation of Trade Unions.

Earlier this month, the LFTU held a training course in the city on modernizing healthcare management concerning traditional Chinese medicine, striving to boost employment and encouraging entrepreneurship.

"This professional skills training came at a good time for me as it not only helped upgrade my skills and enrich my knowledge of health management, but also let me have a clearer direction for my next work plan," said attendee Wang Xiaojuan.

Shan noted that as an industrial worker, he is very willing to participate in skills training and skills competitions organized by the city's trade unions, which explore new pathways to success amid the deep integration of industrial development and worker training.

Gao said the city's trade unions have helped cultivate 2,875 skilled workers and launched 199 themed professional competitions with the participation of over 70,000 employees, providing nearly 12 million yuan ($1.67 million) as cash awards for competition winners.

On March 18, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) skills training course launched by Gao's federation and administered by the local branch of State Grid Corp was launched in the city.

Yuan Weimin, vice-chairman of the Laizhou Power Supply Co trade union under State Grid Shandong Electric Power Co, said, "We began this program with an aim to bolster the cultivation of more talent with better skills, and support high-quality development of State Grid, which is the world's largest utility shouldering a dual task of safeguarding the nation's energy security and providing an economic lifeline."

Yuan said: "Previously, by focusing on our central tasks and key work areas, we organized multilevel vocational skills training and job skills upgrading training for our State Grid employees, expanding available channels for them to grow into valuable talent, and building a team of high-quality industrial workers to provide solid talent support for our enterprise."

Gao added: "In the future, we will continue to expand the training mechanism for workers' skills upgrading, and optimize the structure of industrial workers, constantly stimulating newer and greater innovations by offering more incentives to enhance their creativity through various kinds of activities and competitions."