The Chinese government will train 500,000 new technicians in three years, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security has announced.
The program is intended to meet demand for highly-skilled technicians in manufacturing and service industries, under the ministry plan.
The country is facing a great shortage of skilled technicians. In south China's Shenzhen city, finding a qualified fitter is moredifficult than finding a doctoral graduate.
The ministry launched a technician training system in 2002, in a bid to train skilled workers mainly in the manufacturing and services sectors.
A ministry official said the ministry would change the country's skills assessment system and improve the social and economic status of advanced technicians to encourage blue-collar workers toacquire more skills.