Government ensures training for employees

With an influx of investment in Zhanjiang, a burgeoning port city in South China's Guangdong province, the local government has attached great importance to training skilled workers to meet industrial needs.

According to the Zhanjiang human resources and social security bureau, this year a total of 1,166 technical graduates and professionals joined companies that have significantly invested in Zhanjiang in the sectors of steel production, petrochemicals and paper making.

It is essential to guarantee the ample supply of qualified technicians, which is a way to prop up the quality development of the city's manufacturing industry, said a senior official from the bureau.

As a result, the city is expanding the capacity of its technical colleges and improving the quality of vocational education, said the official.

So far, the city has two provincial-level technical colleges, three city-level technical schools and one county-level technical school, with a total of 15,000 full-time students, official figures show.

The local government will promote cooperation between the technical schools and large companies, such as Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron and Steel, BASF and branches of Siemens for joint educational programs.

The government will subsidize an apprentice training system specially designed for new technicians and skilled workers who have signed labor contracts of at least one year with a key company.

Under the system, new technicians will learn from two teachers－one from the company and the other from a vocational school－and receive online and offline training for one to two years.

The system aims to train medium-to-high-level technical workers to meet their working requirements, said the official.

The training includes professional know-know, practical skills and safety guidelines, while the spirit of craftsmanship will be highlighted.

"It is good for both the industrial upgrading of the companies and the development of the workers," said the official.

According to official figures, about 230,000 workers received vocational training sponsored by the city's human resources and social security department from 2016 to 2020, which allocated roughly 280 million yuan ($43.2 million) in subsidies for the training.

Luo Bin, vice-principal of Zhanjiang Technician College, said the college has taken international standards as its benchmark in training students and keeps a close eye on the latest industrial developments and talents needed in the market.

Founded in 1957, the college is the largest of its kind in the city and has about 10,300 full-time students.

Luo said the college will keep pace with the changing industrial landscape of the city and arrange new disciplines.

It has developed academic research and teaching in the fields of numerical control machining, mold manufacturing, electrical engineering and vehicle maintenance, Luo said.

The college also offers courses in the fields of industrial robots, 3D printing and new energy vehicle maintenance, said Luo.

Chen Xuejun, who is a master technician at national level, said the students have the opportunity to study and practice in real-life scenarios such as using smart manufacturing equipment.

He noted that many students in the vocational schools are from rural areas.

"They are learning in vocational schools and will grow to be excellent workers. Their lives can be greatly improved," he said.

A competitor operates equipment at the second Guangdong Vocational Skills Competition. ZHANG FENGFENG/FOR CHINA DAILY