By tf-lawyer.com On October 25, in Beijing, the News Center of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions held a press conference focused on the implementation of the “Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the Workforce of Industrial Workers,” issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council. During the conference, officials from the federation announced that starting in 2024, they will launch a national plan to cultivate skilled craftsmen, introducing the “Implementation Measures for the Craftsmanship Talent Cultivation Project” and establishing special funds to support the development and incentivization of skilled workers. Under the guidance of the Federation, various regions will begin to develop talent cultivation programs at multiple levels.
According to the introduced measures, by the year 2035, the goal is to nurture approximately 2,000 top-tier craftsmen, 10,000 provincial-level craftsmen, and around 50,000 city-level craftsmen. The initiative aims to emphasize the importance of cultivating more skilled craftsmen as a means to enhance the workforce in first-class industries.
Jiang Wenliang, Deputy Director of the Labor and Economic Work Department and a Senior Inspector at the Federation, emphasized, “The concentrated effort to train skilled craftsmen and high-skilled talents is a top priority in our reform efforts.” He noted the longstanding significance of the craftsmanship initiative by the federation. Starting in 2024, key programs such as talent training camps will serve as flagship projects for this initiative. Through a rigorous selection process, the first batch of 220 leading skilled talents from various industries has already been identified and will begin training at Tsinghua University. Additionally, “Model Craftsman Innovation Studios” will be established as crucial platforms for companies to cultivate skilled talent, with plans for 200 such studios to be supported in 2024.
Jiang also highlighted that since 2015, the federation has set up a fund to support innovative projects led by workers, particularly focusing on models and skilled craftsmen’s innovation studios. To date, 329 innovation projects for frontline workers have received funding totaling 53.95 million yuan. Preliminary statistics indicate that these funded projects have yielded 1,162 innovative outcomes, leading to the granting of 610 patents, including national invention patents, utility model patents, and design patents. Additionally, workers have published 330 papers and monographs, and generated 222 other types of intellectual property, earning a total of 232 awards at national, provincial, and municipal levels. Starting in 2024, the funding for worker innovation projects will increase from 6.4 million yuan per year to 15 million yuan per year.
