What they say

Editor’s note: Five technicians and officials in areas of oil drilling, textile and human resources shared their opinions on technician training at a news conference by the State Council Information Office on Friday.

The number of workers with technical skills has increased by 23 percent since 2012 to over 165 million this year, and they’ve shown quite impressive performances at their jobs. However, we’ve recognized that jobs requiring technical skills are not appreciated or attractive to the young generation. Companies also pay less attention to enhancing their workers’ capabilities, which will bring challenges to economic development and the job market in the long term. I hope that the stereotype of the technician can be changed, as every trade has its master. Zhang Lixin, 52, director with vocational capacity building department of Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security

We are not afraid to share and teach skills to apprentices. What we are concerned with most is whether it will be too hard for them to master the field, as a lot of ability is required. The traditional mode of mentoring, in which apprentices learn from their masters, has changed. We now train apprentices in workshops where tech-savvy people give lectures to a batch of apprentices, which is more fair and efficient. Geng Jiasheng, 56, senior technician with the Aluminum Corporation of China’s Yunnan Metallurgical Kunming Heavy Industry Co

Persistence matters a lot to a technician’s career. I and 41 other graduates were assigned to our company’s spunyarn workshop in 2003. However, the high-temperature working environment has scared off all 41 of my peers over the past 10 or more years. I think that it’s really important for the young generation to face hardships at the beginning of their careers, as it will benefit their future development. Craftsmanship and professionalism are also worth being stressed in order to inspire young workers. Wang Xiaofei, 32, senior weaver with the Dezhou Hengfeng Group in Shandong province

A worker’s proficiency in his job lays a sound foundation for technical innovation. My peers and I created a new method for oil drilling based on our decadeslong working experiences. It’s more practical and effective. I think that continual learning is also a good way to help improve the company’s economic benefits. I believe that as long as we withstand the loneliness and keep innovating, we can all make contributions to economic development. Zhao Qifeng, 44, senior oil-drilling worker of China National Petroleum Corporation’s Liaohe Oilfield

Talented workers with high technical capabilities share a strong competitive edge in the area of commercial aircraft production. From my perspective, developing a quality crew should first involve motivating them with the objective and then training them with a systematic plan to shape the crew into technicians with capabilities and craftsmanship. Shen Dali, 51, human resources director with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China