Implementing the strategy of rejuvenating China through human resources development

Human resources are the primary factor in economic and social development, and are playing an increasingly important role in China's modernization. China has always paid great attention to human resources development. In the new century, China has made a major decision to rejuvenate the nation through human resources development, aiming to train thousands of millions of high-quality workers, hundreds of millions of professionals and a large group of top-notch innovative personnel, and set up a large-scale and rationally structured contingent of high-caliber personnel. In 2001 the Chinese government incorporated this strategy into the Five Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development. Since 2006 it has intensified efforts in the sphere of top-level design and systematic planning of human resources development. It formulated the Outline of the National Plan for Medium- and Long-term Scientific and Technological Development (2006-2020), Outline of the National Plan for Medium- and Long-term Human Resources Development (2010-2020) and Outline of the National Plan for Medium- and Long-term Educational Reform and Development (2010-2020), focusing on a strategy of prioritizing human resources development in the course of economic and social development. The plans formed the country's guidelines on the overall development of human resources in urban and rural areas, among different regions, industries and trades, and among the public and non-public sectors, ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity in benefiting from related policies and participating in human resources development, and striving to realize a coordinated development of human resources of all types.

To meet the need of establishing an innovative nation, the Chinese government has launched the National High-tech R&D Program (863 Program), National Key Basic Research Program (973 Program), National Key Technology R&D Program, National Natural Science Foundation and other national programs and foundations. It has also built the National Engineering Research Center and the National Engineering Laboratory, implemented the Skills Training Plan of the "Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand Project," Changjiang Scholars Program and some other major human resources-related programs. In addition, it has invested more in science and technology and implemented the Project on Upgrading the Knowledge of Technical Professionals. As a result, it has trained a large number of scientific and technical professionals with high qualifications, and attracted high-caliber personnel from overseas. In 2008 the full-time R&D personnel nationwide reached 1,965,400, some 2.9 times the 1991 figure. Among these there were 1,593,400 full-time scientists and engineers, 3.4 times the 1991 figure. A total of 2,146 centers for post-doctoral studies and 1,642 post-doctoral workstations were set up, and the number of post-doctoral researchers exceeded 70,000.

To meet the needs of taking a new road to industrialization and optimizing and upgrading the industrial structure, the Chinese government has implemented the National Plan for Developing Skilled Personnel, set up public training bases and national demonstration bases for the training of highly skilled personnel, and striven to create a contingent of skilled personnel for different industries. The state has made great efforts to train people with practical skills for the countryside, implemented a plan to enhance these people's quality and put in place a project to train such people for the new countryside, and worked hard to improve the scientific and technical attainments, vocational skills and business capabilities of such people. It has also trained teachers, doctors and agricultural technicians to meet the urgent needs of rural development, and encouraged and guided personnel with different qualifications to work in the countryside.