Original Title: Opinions of the Qingpu District Science and Technology Commission et al. on Accelerating the Initiative to Enhance the Scientific Literacy of Employees in High-Tech Industries

Qingpu Science and Technology Commission [2022] No. 69

To All Towns (Subdistricts) and Relevant Units:

To enhance the professional skills and innovation capabilities of employees in high-tech and emerging strategic industries, and to build a high-quality workforce in these sectors that is idealistic and principled, technically proficient and innovative, and willing to take on responsibilities and make sacrifices, in accordance with the "Outline of the National Plan for Improving Scientific Literacy (2021–2035)"the “Notice on Issuing the <Implementation Opinions on Further Improving the Allocation and Use of Local Education Surcharge Special Funds to Strengthen Vocational Training for Enterprise Employees>” (Hu Cai Fa [2020] No. 7), the “Notice on Implementing the ‘Internet Plus Vocational Skills Training Plan’ as Part of the Vocational Skills Improvement Initiative in This Municipality” (Hu Ren She [2020] No. 395), and other relevant regulations, and in light of the actual conditions of this district, these opinions are hereby put forward.

I. Significance

General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “Scientific and technological innovation and science popularization are the two wings of innovative development; science popularization must be accorded the same importance as scientific and technological innovation. Without a general improvement in the scientific literacy of the entire population, it will be difficult to build a large, high-quality innovative workforce or to achieve the rapid transformation of scientific and technological achievements.” Scientific literacy is an essential component of national quality and the foundation of social civilization and progress.Enhancing scientific literacy is of great significance for citizens to establish a scientific worldview and methodology, for strengthening the nation’s capacity for independent innovation and cultural soft power, and for building a modern socialist powerhouse.

II. General Requirements

Adhering to the new development philosophy, we will deepen supply-side structural reforms in talent cultivation and establish a comprehensive system for employee vocational training and skilled workforce development—centered on enterprises,government promotion, market guidance, and social participation, with a focus on improving the vocational skills and overall quality of employees in high-tech industries. Through the guidance and support of fiscal funds, we will stimulate the initiative and enthusiasm of high-tech enterprises in implementing talent development, promote the sustained and healthy development of vocational training for employees in high-tech industries, and provide solid human resource support for Qingpu’s vision of building a “beautiful, quintessentially Jiangnan, innovative, and warm home.”

III. Main Approaches

Encourage high-tech enterprises with training capabilities to conduct employee vocational training independently. Enterprises with training needs and relatively well-established training systems and conditions may conduct in-house employee training upon approval by relevant departments.

Support for Outsourcing and Participation in Centralized Training. Enterprises with training needs but lacking the capacity to conduct in-house vocational training may outsource such training to qualified vocational schools, community colleges, public training bases, and continuing education centers for technical professionals (as listed in the catalog of qualified training resources and training programs published by relevant municipal and district authorities). They may also utilize recognized high-skilled talent training bases to provide vocational training; alternatively, they may apply to participate in centralized training through district- or sub-district-level vocational skills training service platforms.

Enterprises, vocational schools, community colleges, and other training institutions are encouraged and supported to build online training platforms and develop digital training resources covering essential theoretical knowledge, professional ethics, and the spirit of craftsmanship—general professional competencies—to meet the needs of high-tech enterprises for more convenient and effective employee training, thereby further expanding and enhancing the scale and quality of training.

Training institutions such as enterprises, vocational schools, and community colleges are encouraged and supported to go beyond traditional theoretical training for employees. They may also offer highly practical demonstration courses and hands-on training sessions, and organize offline vocational training for high-tech enterprises—such as master-apprentice training and skills competition workshops—to meet the demand for effectively enhancing employees’ practical capabilities. At the same time, this approach makes training more engaging and enjoyable.

IV. Support Measures

(1) Organizational Guarantees

The District Science and Technology Commission and the District Association for Science and Technology shall further improve their coordination and management structures and actively fulfill their organizational and coordination functions regarding vocational training for employees in the district’s high-tech industries. All sub-districts, towns, and their relevant departments shall conscientiously perform their respective service duties within their functional scopes. Enterprises in the district’s high-tech industries shall establish and improve management organizations for employee vocational training, further strengthening the organizational management of training focused on vocational skills, professional technical expertise, job-specific competencies, comprehensive quality, and academic capability enhancement.

(2) Financial Support

High-tech enterprises across the district should be guided by actual needs, fully leverage the support provided by the government’s special local education surcharge funds, and accelerate the cultivation of a high-quality workforce capable of supporting the district’s high-quality economic and social development. Enterprises are encouraged to fully allocate and effectively utilize employee education funds, actively cultivate innovative skilled talent, and employ highly skilled personnel in key positions and critical production processes to better serve the goals of building a manufacturing powerhouse, a quality powerhouse, and a modern economic system.

(3) Institutional Safeguards

The District Science and Technology Commission and the District Association for Science and Technology shall further improve the data analysis mechanism for industrial employee vocational training, and be adept at identifying and recommending innovative and skilled talent among high-tech enterprises across the district; they shall further refine the incentive mechanisms to guide and encourage high-tech enterprises to actively conduct vocational training for industrial employees, and accelerate the implementation of initiatives to enhance the scientific literacy of high-tech industry employees.

High-tech enterprises across the district should further improve their mechanisms for the continuous training of employees to ensure that every employee has access to various types of training to meet the needs of enterprise development; they should further refine incentive mechanisms for employee training, establishing management systems that explicitly encourage employees to actively participate in various training programs and provide both moral and material rewards to employees who achieve excellent results in training assessments. This will further promote the initiative and participation of industrial employees in training, as well as foster their urgent need and strong desire to enhance their skills and professional competence.

Qingpu District Science and Technology Commission

Qingpu District Association for Science and Technology

October 9, 2022