Shandong Province in China is piloting a new eight-level vocational skill level system to expand career development channels for skilled talents and promote their high-quality development. The Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security has recently issued a notice on the trial implementation of the system in enterprises.
The new system builds upon the existing “five-level workers” occupational skill level sequence, which includes junior workers, intermediate workers, senior workers, technicians, and senior technicians. It adds two new technical positions – special-grade technicians and chief technicians – above the existing levels, and includes apprentices as the new entry level. This forms a “new eight-level worker” occupational skill level sequence.
Zhang Jing, director of the Skilled Talent Evaluation Management Service Division of the Provincial Public Employment and Talent Service Center, emphasized that this change is not just about numbers but represents a structural reorganization of the vocational skill level system. It aims to broaden career development opportunities for skilled talents, stimulate innovation, and create vitality in the field of skills. This, in turn, helps accelerate enterprise development, promote industrial transformation, and drive technological upgrading.
The notice specifies that the new eight-level worker system will be tested in enterprises that have registered with the human resources and social security departments at all levels to carry out independent evaluations of skilled talents. The pilot program for appraising and hiring special-grade technicians will be implemented in larger enterprises with skilled personnel as the main workforce, while the chief technician evaluation and employment program will be implemented in enterprises that have already conducted evaluations and employment of special-level technicians. The selection of pilot enterprises will prioritize industry-leading companies with core competitiveness, the ability to drive technological development, and a strong foundation in skilled personnel training and evaluation.
One of the significant features of the trial implementation in Shandong Province is giving enterprises the “right to speak” in talent evaluation. The province allows companies to set apprentices’ evaluation conditions internally, while the evaluation of other levels should be based on national occupational standards or industry enterprise evaluation standards. Shandong Province also allows enterprises to independently determine the evaluation criteria for each level, with the provision that they should not be lower than the national standards.
Shandong Province has been actively focused on the growth of skilled talents in recent years. In 2020, the province pioneered the establishment of special-grade technician positions, and 34 companies have independently evaluated and hired 253 special-grade technicians. These technicians have been honored as full-time senior engineers. The province is also carrying out independent evaluations of skilled talents in enterprises and the identification of vocational skills through social training evaluation organizations.
The trial implementation of the “new eight-level worker” vocational skill level system in Shandong Province aims to break the growth limits for skilled talents and provide them with a career development “overpass.” The province believes that this system will not only benefit individual skilled talents but also contribute to the overall development and transformation of industries.
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