In the early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the recognized social leadership was the workers, who were widely respected, and many dreamed of becoming workers. However, the passage of time has changed the landscape. Since the wave of workers laid off in the early 90s of the 20th century, society's perception of workers has changed significantly. At present, a concept is gradually ingrained in society - "only those who do not perform well in school choose to enter the factory", and many parents prefer to support their children to enter three or junior colleges than to let them enter technical schools.
As an industrial powerhouse, China's hard work and efforts of skilled workers are the key support for rapid economic development, but now it is facing a serious shortage of high-level skilled workers. If this trend continues to develop, the rapid growth of the domestic manufacturing industry will inevitably hit the bottleneck of development, and self-help measures are urgently needed.
In the fourth quarter of 2022, 64 of the "most scarce" occupations in China belonged to manufacturing and specialized technology fields. It is estimated that in 2025, the ten key areas of the domestic manufacturing industry may face a gap of nearly 30 million technical talents, with a gap rate of 48%. There is a shortage of senior technicians, with only 5% of domestic senior technicians, which has not increased significantly in the past 30 years, while countries such as Germany and Japan account for 40%-50% of senior technicians, in stark contrast to China.
Germany's "dual system" vocational education model is specifically for junior high school graduates, allowing students to enter into a contract with a company, which gives Xi guidance and stipend to learn Xi theory while practicing in a factory, and after 3 years, students can choose formal employment or further study. This system allows the technical personnel trained in Germany to be highly matched to the needs of enterprises, and the social and time costs are greatly reduced.
At present, China has not established a complete technician training system, and social prejudice and immature system have led to the continuous widening gap of senior technicians in China. Contemporary Chinese technicians are in a difficult situation, with the quality and quantity of technical school students declining due to public prejudice and inadequate institutional support. In addition to this, the wages of skilled workers are not high, the work intensity is huge, and the career attraction is insufficient.
To solve this problem, we need the assistance of the state, society and enterprises. First of all, it is necessary to change the existing prejudices, make the skilled profession recognized and respected by the public, and ensure the quality of teaching and personnel training in technical schools. Secondly, enterprises recognise the value of technical talents and provide attractive treatment and development paths. In addition, society should be encouraged to change the perception of a tradesman and recognize the hard work and Xi practice that it takes to become a senior tradesman.
In general, China once supported the development of the country's industry with hard-working technicians, but the future development still needs the dedication and dedication of this group. At present, efforts to improve the social status of technicians and establish a good technician training system are necessary measures to promote the transformation of the country from a manufacturing country to a manufacturing power.
Personal opinion: The necessity of technicians, especially senior technicians, in modern society is not only in industrial production, but they play an irreplaceable role in the improvement of innovation and competitiveness of the whole country. Changing prejudices, improving the quality of education, and improving support systems are common issues facing countries. China's progress in this regard is not only the need for national development, but also the desire of every individual for the realization of dignity and value. When society begins to re-evaluate the value of skilled workers, the environment for the cultivation and growth of skilled workers will be significantly improved.