Initiative to help workers improve

More than 3 million industrial workers in China will receive financial support for continuing education by 2030 under a nationwide initiative aimed at improving workforce skills, according to a guideline released on Thursday.

The document, jointly issued by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, lays out plans to help industrial workers pursue further education and enhance their qualifications.

At least 300 programs will be established to help workers boost their academic credentials and vocational skills, the guideline said. More than 3 million eligible workers, including at least 2 million migrant workers, will receive financial aid for continuing and non-degree education.

The initiative seeks to promote lifelong learning among industrial workers and encourage them to upgrade their capabilities, contributing to the development of a world-class workforce, according to the guideline.

China has about 402 million workers, with industrial workers accounting for about half the total workforce, according to the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.

The initiative was officially launched on Wednesday in Beijing. Since 2016, the trade union federation and the Ministry of Education have implemented a program to improve the educational levels of migrant workers, which has produced notable results.

As of June 2024, trade unions nationwide had invested a total of 1.12 billion yuan ($154 million) to help more than 2.4 million migrant workers upgrade their educational qualifications and skills.

The newly released guideline expands the initiative to include all industrial workers and outlines five key objectives: innovating talent training models, enhancing learning platforms, expanding educational resources, improving the recognition and transfer of learning outcomes, and encouraging greater enterprise involvement.

The document calls for collaboration among government bodies, trade unions, businesses, educational institutions and society to strengthen workforce training. Schools and companies are encouraged to jointly establish off-campus teaching or training centers for continuing education.

"Specialized programs and projects tailored to industrial workers that are closely aligned with industrial, supply and innovation chains should be developed. Existing platforms, such as the national smart vocational education platform and the Workers' Home app, should be leveraged to build a national smart learning platform for industrial skills," the guideline said.

Enterprises are also encouraged to increase investment in worker education and support paid learning opportunities, it said.