Ahead of the year 2030, the national target is to see skilled workers represent 35% of the total workforce. This ambition raises a critical question for the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan period: how will China expand its pipeline of master craftsmen and highly skilled talent? Skilled personnel are a cornerstone of China's manufacturing and innovation strength. Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan, the nation has witnessed a steady increase in its skilled workforce, now exceeding 220 million people, including over 72 million considered highly skilled. This growth has provided robust support for high-quality economic and social development.

Currently, the rapid evolution of technology and industrial transformation, alongside growing demands for higher quality and more refined public services, places greater expectations on skilled workers. In response, the State Council issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for Implementing an Employment-First Strategy in June, followed by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security's plan for the sector in July. These documents outline systematic arrangements for large-scale vocational training. Furthermore, the 48th WorldSkills Competition is scheduled for September in Shanghai, set to display China's achievements in skills development. Looking ahead, the focus is on building a knowledgeable, skilled, and innovative workforce, with the goal of cultivating more master craftsmen and high-caliber talent.

Addressing the Skills Gap and Building a Comprehensive Training Network

A recent training session for AI trainers at the Digital Skills Talent Public Training Base in Changsha, Hunan, illustrates this new focus. Trainee Li Huan, who is transitioning careers, found the 14-day course well-suited for beginners, covering everything from voice transcription standards to AI-generated content creation. Hunan province has launched extensive "one person, one skill" vocational training this year, targeting needs across 12 key industrial chains and aiming to upskill groups like migrant workers and new graduates. Training subsidies are now tied to employment and certification rates, holding institutions accountable for results. As of July 1st, the province had trained over 710,000 people this year, with AI and eldercare fields proving particularly popular. Provincial authorities plan to conduct 5 million training sessions during the 15th Five-Year Plan period to tackle the structural mismatch of "people without skills, skills without jobs, and positions without people."

Nationally, a key indicator is raising the proportion of skilled workers in the workforce from 30% in 2025 to 35% by 2030. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security plans to build a lifelong vocational training system. This includes targeted training initiatives in fields such as AI, advanced manufacturing, low-altitude economy, new energy vehicles, and health services. The approach will involve industry-education-evaluation integration, order-based, and project-based training models to create a "30-minute training circle" with accessible public services for all workers.

Reforming Skills Evaluation with the "New Eight-Grade" System

The experience of Zhou En' hui, a chief technician at Shagang Group in Suzhou, highlights the impact of the "new eight-grade" vocational skill level system. Starting as an electrician, Zhou rose to the top echelon of the company's technical staff last year. He has led over 70 digital transformation projects in the past three years, generating more than 200 million yuan in economic value for the company. This system allows enterprises like Shagang to independently assess and certify their workers' skills. According to Liu Jie, who heads the Suzhou Municipal Bureau's vocational skill appraisal center, the evaluation process, while company-led, is overseen by government departments to ensure standards are maintained. Zhang Xiucheng, a deputy director at Shagang's HR department, explained that their evaluation criteria prioritize practical problem-solving, digital upgrades, and mentoring results over formal education or seniority. For Zhou, this system provides a tangible career path where "skills can change one's destiny," encouraging workers to stay and innovate.

This shift is gaining momentum. Jiangsu province is encouraging 40 large and medium-sized enterprises to participate in pilot programs for assessing special-grade and chief technicians, potentially certifying at least 70 special-grade and 15 chief technicians by the third quarter. The province plans to expand this system to smaller businesses and service sectors, including those focused on elderly care and childcare, and to open pathways for flexible workers. In the first half of this year, the nationwide "new eight-grade" system has already led to 4.819 million new certifications, with significant numbers at the higher skill levels. Future plans include refining the system, boosting enterprise-led evaluations, and establishing a dedicated regulation for skills assessment.

Expanding Talent Pipelines Through Vocational Education Reform

The demand for skilled labor is clearly reflected in enrollment trends at vocational schools. Ma Chengbin, a student in the electrical automation program at Shandong Wantong Technical School, is engaging in practical training that mirrors real factory environments, from wiring electrical cabinets to programming automated systems. This program, newly added in recent years, addresses a growing market need; in Shandong province, the ratio of job vacancies to applicants for roles like welders and machinists now exceeds 2 to 1. The school has responded by hiring experienced industry engineers as instructors and updating its curriculum with input from partner companies. In 2024 alone, the Xinhua Education Group, which operates the school, offered 380 targeted training classes, sending over 15,000 skilled graduates into the workforce. Starting this fall, all technical schools in Shandong will also include AI general education as a mandatory course. Provincial plans call for deepening school-enterprise cooperation, establishing more on-site training facilities, and building around 20 provincial-level high-skill training bases. Nationally, the strategy includes developing high-quality technical colleges and 100 top-tier programs, while also fostering alliances of technical schools to enhance overall training capacity and effectively meet the challenges and opportunities of the 15th Five-Year Plan period.