The Tongzhou district of Nantong city in East China's Jiangsu province recently expanded its labor sharing program to further help tackle poverty, with Zhenba county, administered by Hanzhong city in Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

A two-week course on improving professional skills ended on May 25 in Zhenba county. It was jointly organized by the human resources and social security departments in Zhenba and Tongzhou district.

Vocational teachers from Tongzhou district provided free training for nearly 100 laid-off workers in Zhenba. Qualification certificates and allowances were granted to attendees, on passing the examinations.

"The local textbook in Zhenba includes basic theory and operation skills," said a participant.

"The theoretical courses presented by the teachers from Tongzhou, equipped with operation teaching aids, made it easy for us to master both theoretical knowledge and practical operations," he added.

Since partnering up with Zhenba to help with poverty alleviation there, Tongzhou district has held five dedicated jobs fairs – as well as set up a supply-demand matchmaking platform through public service platforms and WeChat accounts – in both places.