Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of Enterprise Skilled Talent Teams

Skilled talents in enterprises are an important part of China's talent team and a vital force driving economic and social development. Strengthening the construction of enterprise skilled talent teams is an inherent requirement to enhance the core competitiveness of enterprises, promote industrial transformation and upgrading, and improve enterprise innovation capabilities. It is an effective means to accelerate the transformation of economic development modes and promote industrial structure adjustment. It is also an important part of deeply implementing the strategy of strengthening the country through talent and the strategy of revitalizing the country through science and education, as well as building a strong human resources country. To implement the requirements of the "National Medium- and Long-term Talent Development Plan Outline (2010-2020)" and other policies, and comprehensively improve the overall quality of enterprise skilled talent teams, the following opinions are proposed on strengthening the construction of enterprise skilled talent teams.
1. Guiding Ideology and Main Tasks
(1) Guiding Ideology. Thoroughly implement the scientific outlook on development, fully implement the strategy of strengthening enterprises through talent, take serving industrial transformation and upgrading as the main line, aim to enhance the core competitiveness of enterprises, adhere to the principles of serving enterprises, respecting labor, improving skills, and lifelong training, establish and improve the working mechanism and policy measures for the construction of enterprise skilled talent teams, create an institutional environment and social atmosphere conducive to the growth and role of skilled talents, and provide strong skilled talent support to promote enterprise development.
(2) Main Tasks. At present and for a certain period in the future, the main tasks of building enterprise skilled talent teams are: fully play the leading role of enterprises, improve the enterprise employee training system, perfect the policy measures for cultivating, evaluating, and incentivizing enterprise skilled talents, build a team of enterprise skilled talents with superb skills, excellent quality, and reasonable structure, initially form a tiered development and proportion structure of junior, intermediate, and senior skilled workers within enterprises, so that the scale, structure, and quality of skilled talents better meet the needs of industrial structure optimization and upgrading and enterprise development.
2. Improve the Enterprise Employee Training System
(3) Innovate Enterprise Employee Training Methods. According to the requirements of enterprise skilled positions and the need for employees to improve skill levels, coordinate the use of various educational and training resources, use enterprise employee training institutions and vocational colleges as carriers, further deepen enterprise-school cooperation, vigorously carry out pre-job training, on-the-job skill improvement training, and high-skilled talent training, explore and establish a new type of enterprise apprenticeship system, continuously improve employees' professional quality, skill levels, and innovation capabilities through school education, enterprise post training, and self-study. During the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" period, strive to ensure that all employees in skilled positions receive at least one vocational training to provide strong skilled talent support for enterprise development.
(4) Vigorously Carry Out Pre-job Training. Enterprises should combine the requirements of job skills and follow the principle of training before employment to conduct pre-job training for newly hired and transferred employees through self-training or commissioned training. The training should mainly cover basic skills, safety knowledge, operating procedures, rules and regulations, and professional qualities. Enterprises are encouraged to strengthen cooperation with vocational colleges aimed at cultivating reserve technical workers, carry out order-based training and position-specific training to enhance the pertinence and effectiveness of training. Localities should implement the requirements of the "Opinions of the State Council on Strengthening Vocational Training to Promote Employment" (Guo Fa [2010] No. 36), improve policy measures for direct vocational training subsidies to enterprises, and provide corresponding training subsidies to qualified enterprises according to regulations.
(5) Strengthen On-the-Job Skill Improvement Training. Enterprises should combine the requirements of technological progress and industrial upgrading for employee skill levels, conduct skill improvement training for skilled position employees through various methods such as on-the-job training, full-time training, business study, and job drills, and accelerate the improvement of employees' skill levels. Localities should explore flexible academic systems and credit systems for enterprise employees attending vocational colleges. Those who complete the required training courses and hours and pass assessments can obtain vocational college graduation certificates. Job drills should be regarded as an important means to improve employee skill levels. Nationwide enterprise employee job drill activities should be widely carried out to create a good atmosphere of learning skills and competing in contributions. Employee performance in job drill activities can be an important basis for promotion of professional qualifications and evaluation for national technical expert honors.
(6) Promote Training of High-skilled Talents in Enterprises. Enterprises should vigorously cultivate high-skilled talents by establishing enterprise-school cooperation systems for high-skilled talent training and technician training systems. High-skilled talents are encouraged to participate in scientific research institutions' technological breakthroughs and enterprise technological transformation. Support enterprises in building skill master studios to carry out key process breakthroughs, skill study and innovation, and skill inheritance activities. Financial departments at all levels should provide funding support. Localities are encouraged to build demonstration high-skilled talent training bases relying on large backbone enterprises (groups) according to regional economic development, industrial revitalization, and emerging strategic industry development needs, and strengthen high-skilled talent cultivation. Enterprises should be given certain training subsidies according to regulations for employees who participate in technician and senior technician training and obtain corresponding vocational qualification certificates. Subsidy funds are jointly borne by local governments and enterprises, with government subsidies allocated from employment special funds. The central government provides appropriate subsidies to localities through employment special transfer payment funds.
(7) Explore Establishing a New Type of Enterprise Apprenticeship System. Select qualified enterprises to carry out new apprenticeship pilot projects, adopt a "dual system of enterprise and school, integration of work and study" model, cultivate apprentices through enterprise-school cooperation combined with enterprise master-apprentice methods, and conduct apprenticeship training for prospective or newly hired employees. Enterprises should sign cooperation agreements with vocational colleges or vocational training institutions, specifying the form, content, duration, and responsibilities of both parties in apprenticeship training to ensure apprentices work in enterprises while attending systematic professional knowledge and skill learning at school for a certain period. Enterprises should select outstanding skilled talents as masters, sign training agreements with apprentices, clarify training goals, content and duration, assessment methods, apprentice wages, and master-apprentice allowances. Enterprises can determine apprenticeship duration based on actual conditions, with the apprenticeship period not less than one year. Localities should formulate policy measures to support enterprises in establishing new apprenticeship systems. Enterprises meeting the conditions for pre-job training subsidies should enjoy the corresponding subsidy policies. The pilot measures for the new enterprise apprenticeship system will be formulated separately by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in conjunction with relevant departments.
3. Innovate Enterprise Skilled Talent Evaluation Mechanism
(8) Improve Multiple Evaluation Methods for Skilled Talents. Actively promote enterprise skilled talent evaluation pilots, improve an enterprise skilled talent evaluation system oriented by professional ability, focused on work performance, and emphasizing professional ethics and professional knowledge levels. Based on the unified framework of national occupational standards, enterprises can adopt flexible and diverse methods such as assessment and certification, combined evaluation, and performance review according to different requirements of production technology, process equipment, and product types. The evaluation focuses on employees' ability to follow operating procedures, solve production problems, and complete work tasks, and promote corresponding professional qualifications according to relevant regulations. Employees with outstanding skills and performance on the front line of enterprise production can participate in technician and senior technician assessments exceptionally or by skipping levels.
(9) Smooth the career development channels for enterprise skilled talents. Gradually establish an enterprise employment system that combines training assessment with utilization, and links performance contribution with remuneration. Encourage enterprises to smooth the career development channels for skilled talents and broaden the development space for enterprise employees. Formulate methods for the career development integration of high-skilled talents and engineering technical talents, select some engineering technical specialties for pilot projects, and the specific methods shall be separately formulated by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in conjunction with relevant departments. Encourage enterprises to establish and improve the technical leader system, explore the establishment of "Chief Technician" positions in key posts and core technical fields, and enjoy the relevant treatment of high-level talents.
4. Improve the incentive mechanism for enterprise skilled talents
(10) Promote enterprises to carry out skill competition activities. Promote enterprises to widely carry out various forms of mass technical contests and skill competitions, encouraging enterprise employees to learn technology, practice skills, and delve into their business. Further standardize national vocational skill competition activities. Skill competitions organized by enterprises that meet the organizational and implementation requirements of vocational skill competitions can be included in the government-organized vocational skill competition plan. Reward contestants who achieve excellent results in vocational skill competitions according to regulations, and promote competition awardees who meet the conditions to higher professional qualifications. Organize participation in the WorldSkills Competition well, vigorously select outstanding young skilled talents from enterprises to participate, and create conditions for young skilled talents to stand out. Encourage qualified enterprises to organize excellent skilled talents to carry out technical and skill exchange activities with internationally renowned enterprises.
(11) Improve the incentive policies for enterprise skilled talents. Enterprises may adopt income distribution methods such as agreement wages, project wages, and annual salary systems for employed high-skilled talents, guiding wage distribution to favor skilled talents. Qualified enterprises should actively explore establishing enterprise annuity systems and supplementary medical insurance for various talents, including high-skilled talents on the production and service front lines. Encourage enterprises to establish skill position allowances and special post allowances for high-skilled talents. When negotiating the initial employment treatment level with vocational school graduates, enterprises may set the treatment for those who have obtained senior worker or above skill qualification certificates at no less than the level of college graduates. Emphasize improving the social status of skilled talents and create conditions for their participation in enterprise and social management. Effectively implement the policy of granting government special allowances to high-skilled talents. Major and medium-sized cities may formulate high-skilled talent settlement policies based on local urgent skill shortages, with specific methods formulated by local people's governments.
(12) Carry out commendation and reward work for enterprise skilled talents. According to relevant national regulations, explore establishing a high-skilled talent reward system guided by government rewards, dominated by enterprise rewards, and supplemented by social rewards, giving high honors and substantial rewards to outstanding skilled talents in enterprises. Encourage enterprises to establish and improve reward methods for skilled talents based on market demand and business conditions, and implement special reward policies for outstanding high-skilled talents. For individual employees' valuable process innovations and scientific inventions, commendations and rewards shall be given according to relevant national regulations. For unique skills, special operations, or techniques of skilled talents, their names may be used for naming, and support shall be given to obtain intellectual property protection through patent applications, confidentiality measures, etc., stimulating the enthusiasm and creativity of enterprise employees to improve skills and delve into their business.
5. Effectively carry out organizational implementation work
(13) Strengthen organizational leadership. All regions and relevant departments should further enhance their understanding of the importance of strengthening the construction of enterprise skilled talent teams, strengthen organizational leadership, improve work mechanisms, and perfect policy measures. They should further enhance their sense of responsibility and urgency, regard the cultivation of enterprise skilled talents as an important part of promoting industrial upgrading and regional economic development, and incorporate enterprise skilled talent work into the unified deployment of local and departmental talent work plans. Supervisory departments of state-owned enterprises at all levels should strengthen organizational leadership over the skilled talent work of state-owned enterprises, fully play the exemplary role of state-owned enterprises, especially central enterprises, in cultivating high-skilled talents. Enterprises should establish employee training files to record employees' participation in vocational training, include the construction of skilled talent teams as part of the performance evaluation of enterprise managers, and regularly report to the employee representative assembly.
(14) Give full play to the role of industry regulatory authorities and industry organizations. Industry regulatory authorities and industry organizations should accurately forecast the demand for skilled talents in their respective industries, guide enterprises to improve employee training systems, and implement relevant policies and measures for building skilled talent teams. Encourage relevant industry associations to enhance skill exchanges and information sharing among enterprises and industries across different regions, ownership types, and scales by providing intellectual assistance, expert consultation, technical guidance, talent training, labor dispatch, and targeted support services, thereby promoting the improvement of skill levels among employees in resource-poor regions, industries, and enterprises.
(15) Implement funding policies. Enterprises shall, in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Finance and other departments' "Notice on Printing and Distributing " (Cai Jian [2006] No. 317), fully extract and reasonably use enterprise employee education funds. More than 60% of the employee education funds should be used for the education and training of frontline workers, focusing on pre-job training, on-the-job skill improvement training, high-skilled talent training, and vocational skill appraisal. For enterprises unable to carry out employee training themselves or have not yet conducted high-skilled talent training, local people's governments at or above the county level may lawfully pool their employee education funds. The pooled portion shall be included in local employment special funds, and the human resources and social security departments, together with relevant departments, shall use local public vocational training and practice bases or entrust designated training institutions to organize unified training services.
(16) Strengthen basic work. All regions and relevant departments should strengthen statistics and investigations on the current status of enterprise skilled talent teams, employee training progress, and enterprise training resources. Establish a real-time monitoring, statistics, and reporting system for enterprise post skill training. Closely track the development needs of new technologies and new occupations in enterprises, promoting closer integration of national occupational standards with enterprise post requirements. Accelerate the supplementation, revision, and improvement of occupational standards, and speed up the development of teaching materials and instructional aids that meet the needs of enterprise employee training and skilled talent cultivation.
(17) Increase publicity efforts. Innovate publicity methods, make full use of various news media, adopt forms popular with the public, and carry out in-depth and lasting publicity activities through a combination of centralized and daily publicity. Strengthen typical demonstrations, highlight guiding roles, vigorously publicize policies and measures for strengthening enterprise employee training and skilled talent team construction in various places, vigorously publicize characteristic practices and advanced work experiences of enterprise employee training, and vigorously publicize typical skilled talents, establishing a social atmosphere that respects labor, esteems skills, and encourages creativity throughout society.

State Council Office Issuance [2012] No. 34 Secretariat of the General Office of the State Council Issued on June 14, 2012