Skills training programs, a major initiative to cushion the mounting unemployment affecting tens of millions of migrant workers in China, has been spreading to every corner of the country. But its effectiveness depends on whether it can be well implemented.

The central government is committed to pumping more money into rural labor training programs to equip unskilled migrant workers with job skills for the country's drive to upgrade its industries.

According to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, state coffers and provincial financial authorities earmarked 2.7 billion yuan annually for rural labor training programs between 2006 and 2008, and funding will increase this year.

One of the major training initiatives targeting migrant workers nationwide, the Sunshine Project was jointly implemented by six government agencies, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education.

It cost 1.1 billion yuan to provide free vocational training courses to about 2.5 million migrant workers across the country last year. The project is expected to cover 1 million more migrant workers in 2009.

"The government provides subsidies of 400 yuan to 600 yuan to designated local training institutions for each migrant worker retrained," said Tang Meijian, a program executive at a rural labor training center affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture.

The shortage of skilled workers has been a major problem in China for some time.

Statistics from the Ministry of Education showed that 20 percent of the country's rural labor attended short-term training programs, but only 3.4 percent of them received preliminary vocational trainings, Xinhua reported.

As the country presses ahead with its drive to upgrade the economy, many experts said it was imperative to nurture more skilled workers to meet future needs.

In the first half of this year, vocational training covered some 12.14 million people, including 5.37 million migrant workers, said Yin Chengji, a spokesman with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

However, migrant workers did not show as much interest as expected. Many who had access to the training programs declined the opportunity, thinking there would be no immediate gains versus earning quick money to make a living.

"Training must be more pragmatic and target-oriented, since what migrant workers expect to gain from the training are the skills that could make them more competent in the job market and help them find employment," the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security told China Business Weekly in a written reply to questions.

Meanwhile, some training providers reportedly bribed local officials to become designated training institutions and used fake identities to obtain government subsidies for migrant worker training.

In Guizhou province, one of the major sources of migrant workers, about 150 cases involving government training funding abuse were investigated in 2008, People's Daily reported.

Since then, many training fund manipulation cases have been disclosed in other provinces.

In the wake of the reports, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has called on local authorities to make the public bidding process for training programs more transparent and to conduct regular assessments on the qualifications of designated training institutions.

"Training courses should meet migrant workers' real needs," said Tang, who has more than 20 years of experience in organizing rural labor training programs.

"And supervision of the funding channel must be strengthened to help consistently draw more people to the classroom, " Tang said.

(China Daily September 14, 2009)