Xi Seeks to Boost Skills Development

A Chinese stone carver competes on Sunday at the 45th World-Skills Competition at the Kazan Expo International Exhibition Center in Russia. YEGOR ALEYEV/TASS

Message sent with congratulations for nation's No 1 medal tally at world event

President Xi Jinping called on Monday for carrying forward the spirit of craftsmanship and stepping up training of high-quality skilled professionals.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark in a written instruction that included congratulations on achievements of Chinese participants in the 45th WorldSkills Competition.

Team China, with 16 gold medals, ranked No 1 in the medal tally among the 63 participating countries and regions in the event held in Kazan, Russia, last month.

Xi said the quality of workers is very important to the nation's development. Skilled workers are a significant foundation for the "Made in China" and "Created in China" strategies and play a crucial role in boosting high-quality economic growth, he said.

Xi stressed the need to improve systems for cultivating, employing and evaluating skilled professionals as well as providing incentives and boosting efforts to develop skills education and vocational training to speed up training of high-quality workers and skilled professionals.

He called for advancing the spirit of craftsmanship and encouraging young people to devote themselves to skilled work to serve the nation.

With the next WorldSkills Competition set for Shanghai in 2021, Xi asked for full efforts to prepare and organize the event and strengthen exchanges and mutual learning with other countries to strive for an innovative and influential event.

Premier Li Keqiang also issued instructions, saying talented, skilled workers are national treasures and significant for industrial upgrading and high-quality development.

Li urged more effort to be made to develop modern vocational education, build high-quality training schools and improve mechanisms and policies helping skilled workers develop their careers to allow entry of more people in mass entrepreneurship and innovation and to promote employment.

WorldSkills, known as the Olympics of skills, is a global event in which participants compete in professional skills and take part in interchanges. Shanghai will host the next competition in 2021, using the theme of "Master Skills, Change the World".