Strengthening human resources training

The Chinese government has put cadre education and training in a prominent place. The state has drawn up and issued the Regulations on the Work of Cadre Education and Training (Trial), National Plan for Cadre Education and Training (2006-2010) and Opinions on the Implementation of Cadre Training Work on a Large Scale (2008-2012). With focus on the requirements of major government work and civil service posts, the government has conducted initial training, post-related training, professional training and in-service training, carried out training plans geared to the needs of the posts, promoted formal schooling training, and sent cadres to temporary posts in other places, thus effectively developing the human resources of the civil service and promoting career development for civil servants.

The Chinese government has carried out the Project on Upgrading the Knowledge of Technical Professionals. The state has, with specific and effective plans and step by step, conducted special training programs on new theories, knowledge, technologies and methods for middle- and high-level professionals in the fields important for economic, social, scientific and technological development. From 2005 to 2009, altogether three million middle- and high-level professionals participated in such training programs. The government has worked hard to build a continuing education system for technical specialists, a system that sets clear levels and categories, and that brings into full play the initiative of all aspects, gradually forming a demand-driven, continuing education mechanism characterized by the combination of the government guidance and employers' initiative, individuals' fulfillment of their duties and studying on their own initiative. In 2009 professionals involved in continuing education around China reached 30 million person/times. To promote human resources development in Western China, the Chinese government issued the Opinions on Strengthening Human Resources Development in Western China and carried out a training plan for the backbone personnel in the scientific and technological field in the Xinjiang Uygur and Tibet autonomous regions, and for professionals in the Sanjiangyuan area of Qinghai Province. In 2009 China trained 2,888 backbone scientific and technical personnel and much-needed professionals of ethnic-minority groups.

To meet the demands of different groups in finding employment, and geared to different stages of careers, the government has conducted vocational training programs, set up a vocational training system with technical schools as the mainstay and vocational training institutions as the supplement, and given full play to the roles of trade unions, Communist Youth League, women's federation, and other mass and social organizations. By the end of 2009 there were over 6,000 technical schools and employment training centers, over 20,000 privately-run vocational training institutions, and over 260,000 demonstration bases of science and technology for women, providing different education and training programs for women on 120 million occasions and enhancing women's capability of self-development. For junior and senior high school graduates who have failed to gain higher education, the government offers pre-job training courses to help them master some vocational skill or obtain a professional certificate before job hunting. For unemployed people, the government offers re-employment training courses that are relevant, practical and effective, so as to better prepare unemployed people for re-employment. For urban and rural workers who want to start businesses of their own and who have the qualifications, the government offers entrepreneurship training courses to enhance their abilities to start small businesses. For surplus rural workers who want to transfer to non-agricultural fields and urban areas, the government offers vocational training and carries out such special programs as the Sunshine Project, Training Plan for the Transfer of Rural Labor Force, Spark Technical Training and Yulu Plan to enhance their abilities to find employment in new sectors.

Since 1994, in order to comprehensively improve the quality of workers and strengthen their capabilities in finding jobs and doing their work well, China has established a professional qualification certificate system. By the end of 2009 a total of 18.433 million professionals in various fields throughout the country had obtained the required qualifications, and over 100 million qualification certificates for workers of different skill levels were issued.