Skill Rules

By Lu Yan

Ever since winning first place in the masonry category at the First Vocational Skills Competition of China in December of last year， Wu Yuanzhou has been busy continuing to enhance his craftsmanship with bricks and mortar and impart his knowledge as a lecturer at the Changsha Construction Engineering School， a vocational school in Changsha， capital of Hunan Province.

Eight years ago， Wu graduated from middle school and chose to study architectural engineering at a vocational school. Gradually， he developed a passion for masonry and became one of the top stoneworkers nationwide.

“Its not easy to master a technique. Only by remaining persistent and attentive during the boring and difficult moments of the learning process， can you solidify your knowhow and become a true technician，” Wu told Beijing Review. The 22-yearold is currently preparing for the 46th WorldSkills Competition scheduled to take place in Shanghai in October 2022.

In the 14th Five-Year Plan （2021-25） period， China plans to increase its number of skilled workers by more than 40 million through new incentives， according to an action plan released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security （MOHRSS） in July.

More efforts will go into the integration of industry and education as well as the cooperation between schools and enterprises， to attract more young people to vocational education， Premier Li Keqiang said at a conference in April.

A satisfying alternative

In China， 30.88 million students are currently acquiring their skills in 11，300 vocational education institutions， according to statistics from the Ministry of Education （MOE）. Over the last five years， about 90 percent of graduates from Chinas higher vocational schools were able to secure a job within six months of graduation， according to a report compiled by the National Institute of Education Sciences.

Most of the graduates were hired by the private sector， and their primary employers are in the education， construction， health and social work sectors.

Vocational education has been proven beneficial to regional development. The report read that close to 60 percent of graduates from higher vocational schools opted to work in the same locality as their alma mater， and 66 percent worked for small and medium-sized enterprises. They boost the development of the local economy with their skills.

“Some enterprises sign up graduates from our college two years in advance. More than 60 percent of our students are often booked for a job one year before graduating，” Yang Haiying， head of the enrollment and employment department at Guangzhou Light Industry Technician College in Guangzhou， Guangdong Province， told Beijing-based Peoples Daily.