“The mentorship system has not become obsolete

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Recently, Shanxi Province issued the \"Implementation Opinions on Improving the Treatment of Skilled Workers\" (hereinafter referred to as the \"Opinions\"). These opinions aim to improve measures related to the training, evaluation, employment, motivation, and support of skilled workers; they include the establishment of special allowances for those in key positions as well as allowances for those who mentor others, in order to support highly skilled professionals in carrying out mentoring activities. Enhance technical workers’ sense of gain, pride, and honor, and stimulate their enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity. (Science and Technology Daily, August 14) \"Mentoring apprentices\" is an old tradition in various industries. In the field of woodworking, where traditional methods are still widely used, there is a saying: it takes three years to be an apprentice, five and a half years to become competent, and seven years to become a master craftsman. This shows the rigor of the \"mentor-apprentice\" system. What a master passes on is not only skills but also the spirit of craftsmanship, and this cannot be achieved in a short time; it requires daily instruction and guidance through hands-on teaching between master and apprentice. Clearly, in an era that strongly advocates for the spirit of craftsmanship, the practice of mentoring apprentices is by no means outdated. In Shanxi Province, the practice of having highly skilled experts act as mentors to train apprentices represents a mentorship approach that starts at a high level; it will undoubtedly help to cultivate a group of modern craftsmen of even higher standard. 　　As a corporate training model in which highly skilled leaders act as mentors, it helps to cultivate skilled craftsmen on one hand, and to foster among workers a spirit of striving for excellence and perseverance on the other. It possesses advantages that other forms of vocational training cannot match, and it contributes to the preservation of the \"craftsman spirit.\" It also accelerates the transmission and development of traditional skills as well as advanced techniques, thereby meeting the companies’ urgent need for \"modern craftsmen.\" As for today’s new generation of ordinary workers, who possess a higher level of education and often have practical experience, if they are diligent in mastering skills through mentorship, they can become craftsmen and even among the best in their field. 　　The \"mentor-apprentice\" system for highly skilled leaders clearly serves as a model, which will promote the widespread adoption of this approach in enterprises. This, in turn, will help cultivate more skilled workers, technicians, and master craftsmen, thereby laying a solid human resources foundation for sustainable development and providing strong support and assurance in terms of talent and technology.