What are the reasons for the shortage of senior skilled workers in China?

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At present, there are approximately 70 million skilled workers in our country, of whom 60% are junior workers, 35% are intermediate workers, and only 5% are senior workers； In the West, **advanced and intermediate skilled workers account for more than 35% of all technical workers, with intermediate-level workers making up around 50% and junior skilled workers accounting for 15%. What is the reason for this situation? I think this should draw the attention of the relevant authorities in our country and prompt them to reflect. What exactly is the reason for the severe shortage of skilled workers in our country? 28 years ago, the Northeast region, which served as China’s heavy industry base, Chongqing in the southwest, Shanghai and Nanjing along the eastern coast – cities that were part of the light industry sector – Wuhan and Changsha in the central region, and Xi’an and Lanzhou in the western region, were all industrial hubs in China over the past century. On this land, our country’s national industry has grown and thrived thanks to the wisdom and hard work of its own skilled workers. I remember that in the 1950s, in order to promote the development of national industry, New China launched a campaign for technological innovation across the country. During this movement, a large number of outstanding mid-to-senior level technical experts emerged across the country. They not only solved many technical problems that hindered the development of the nation’s industrial sector, but also trained batch after batch of skilled successors in the late 1950s and 1960s. These “excellent apprentices” are what we refer to today as skilled workers. In the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s, they were the main driving force behind the development of our country’s industry. Looking back at their growth, a considerable number of them have only an elementary or junior high school education; yet through years of practical work, under the careful guidance and strict demands of their mentors, they learned and mastered many skills and knowledge that cannot be acquired from books. Later, in their actual work, they continued to receive guidance from their mentors. It can be said that the mentors demanded excellence from them, as they hoped that their apprentices would surpass them. Although they served as the technical backbone of enterprises for a period of time, it is unfortunate that a considerable number of these skilled workers passed away prematurely for various reasons... Those skilled workers from the late 1950s and 1960s, due to circumstances over those 10 years, were not able to receive any technical evaluations, nor did they have the opportunities available today to improve themselves through education; yet they possessed very solid technical skills and experience. Due to changes in the times, their businesses closed down, the factories were sold, and high-rise buildings were constructed where they used to work and make a living; as a result, many people were forced to retire or lose their jobs early. I have a classmate from middle school; he started learning metalworking at the age of 17 and worked as a metalworker for 25 years. Due to having only a middle school education, it was difficult for him to be classified as a level 5 metalworker in 1979. Yet he performed better than those technicians with a college education who held levels 6 or 7. Because of his seriousness and dedication at work, he was among the first to be laid off when he was 45 years old. Among them are many fitters with levels 6 to 8, as well as various high-level technical professionals. Why can’t we invite them back to help with the construction? Why can’t we ask them to come again and help train a group of apprentices? Is it because they don’t have university degrees, professional titles, or technical qualifications? Is it that they themselves don’t want to assess their own skill level? No! Under the guidance of the approach that holds that class struggle is always effective, who would dare to become a mentor designated for talents in the category of \"intellectuals and professionals\"? After the reform and opening up, for a long time, diplomas served as a talisman for finding jobs and getting promotions and raises; companies would first consider a person’s educational background and diploma when hiring, and the concept of skilled workers had long been downplayed by these factory managers and executives. It is only when a company encounters technical problems in its development that it realizes the importance of skilled workers. If China is to become a processing hub for industrial products worldwide, our own domestic industry also needs to develop and improve significantly. Therefore, various industries require a large number of skilled workers of different types. If we rely on \"importing\" skilled workers to address the technical challenges faced by domestic enterprises, how can this be in line with the realities of China’s industrial development? Therefore, skilled workers require years of careful training on our part; in particular, intermediate and senior skilled workers need a considerable amount of practical experience before they can meet the required standards. To this end, it is necessary for enterprises, society, and industry associations in various provinces and cities to work together from different perspectives to develop our country’s industry by providing long-term training for our own intermediate and senior skilled workers. To address the shortage of highly skilled workers in our country, companies across the country should seriously revive the apprenticeship system. This requires addressing several issues. First, the problem of mentors needs to be resolved: in line with the needs of skilled workers in this industry, mid-to-senior level technical workers under 65 years old from the general population should be recruited by enterprises, and asked to train apprentices for three to five years. II. Source of apprentices: mainly students who have graduated from vocational schools and secondary technical schools are recruited, and high school graduates from rural areas who come to the city can also be recruited. III. Set apprenticeship wages and reasonable benefits. IV. After completing three years of apprenticeship, one must serve the company for five more years (a contract is signed during the apprenticeship period). V. Upon completion of the apprenticeship period, the company shall organize an assessment to determine the grade. Assign tasks and set salaries based on the assessed level. VI. During the five-year service period, an evaluation must be conducted once a year as required, to determine the technical level and adjust the salary accordingly based on that level. Society establishes professional technical training schools for various industries. Such training schools can be divided into two categories: the first category focuses on training socially unemployed or laid-off workers who already possess basic skills at levels 1–4, enabling them to acquire systematic knowledge and further improve their technical abilities. Its purpose is, first, to supply small and medium-sized enterprises with skilled workers at an intermediate technical level. Second, it provides re-employment opportunities through training for workers in society who have a certain technical foundation. The second category is linked to enterprises, aiming to train unemployed individuals with a high school education level in society. Equip them with specialized skills so that they can supply workers with basic technical expertise to small and medium-sized enterprises, commercial firms, and township enterprises. For the source of technical mentors, retired or laid-off senior technical experts under 65 years old who are in good health are recruited to serve as technical instructors. Industry associations in various provinces and cities should learn from those in the United States by establishing higher technical schools to supply advanced technical talent to enterprises in their respective industries, thereby truly serving those enterprises. If, from enterprises to society and various industry associations, we work together to train technical workers at different levels for the development of our country’s industry, it is certain that in ten years the proportion of workers at various skill levels will not be the same as it is today: 60% of the 70 million technical workers are at the junior level, 35% are at the intermediate level, and only 5% are at the senior level!