The government is working on several ways, including holding competitions, to help supply more skilled blue collar workers and give China's manufacturing boom a push forward.

Wednesday, 15 workers were named "national master hands" by several State Council departments, including the Ministry of Labor, because of their outstanding performance in operating digital-controlled machines.

Meanwhile, 15 students from national vocational schools stood out in the national digital control competition and were named "skilled technicians," a title average workers can obtain after at least 10 years of hard work.

Among the award-winners was Feng Yifeng, 20, from Guangzhou Advanced Vocational School for Light Industry.

"The graduates from our school are competitive in labor markets, and the award will give me more chance," said Feng, who won the award for his excellent operation of a milling machine.

Xiao Qingzhong, president of Feng's school, felt delighted that two students have won the national competition titles.

"As the economic boom in Guangdong has been maintained, graduates in my school can easily earn a post."

He said the competition is a positive sign that the government is working hard to develop pools of skilled workers to ease the labor shortage.

Xiao told China Daily that the south China business hub has seen rapid economic growth in recent years.

A large number of skilled workers are needed to sustain that development and it is estimated that the province will need 8 million skilled workers by 2005.

At present, there are only about 240,000 senior skilled workers in the province, accounting for 4.3 percent of the total workforce in the industrial sector.

According to an earlier report, Guangdong Province is planning to establish new training schools to cope with a shortage of skilled workers.

The province will create 75 schools to train workers in specific areas, 45 will be key national-level schools and the number of students for majors that are in great demand in these schools is expected to hit 360,000 in the next four years.

The province is also considering restructuring the current occupational qualification certification system, to improve the working environment for skilled workers.

In addition, the province will grant more favorable welfare policies for skilled workers and bring in more such workers from other regions.

The shortage of skilled workers has become a headache for many areas nationwide.

Vice-Minister of Labor and Social Security Zhang Xiaojian said many industries still face manpower shortages, especially in major economic powerhouses like the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta.

The eastern Shanghai Municipality, according to local government estimates, will suffer a shortage of 18,000 technicians in the next three years in the fields of craft design, machine tool operations, electrical equipment operations and optical optimization controls and electronics.

Even in northeast China, the country's old industrial base and once a cradle for skilled workers, a shortage of technicians is severely hindering the region's revitalization process.

"A dearth of skilled workers has had negative effects on the development of some products, enterprises and industries," said Zhang.

Statistics show that among the 70 million workers in the nation, senior technicians account for only 3.5 percent, compared with a 40 percent ratio in developed countries.

According to Zhang, the situation is improving, however. Technician shortages are a problem stemming from traditional thinking that entering university is the only way out for children.

But now, more and more people are beginning to realize that someone with a skill can find work easily, and vocational schools become popular.

(China Daily November 25, 2004)