From this year onwards, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is to carry out skill training for the rural labor forces, in order to tackle the shortage of skilled workers.

With focus on skill cultivation and upgrading, the annual training will comprise of 300,000 people, while the project is valued at 1.5 trillion yuan ($217.9 billion).

According to the government paper issued on April 14, Xinjiang natives are to account for over 70 percent of the total employed people for the project, including 40 to 50 percent coming from poverty-stricken families. The construction companies will have the native people undertake 90 percent of the unskilled work.

By 2020, the end of the 13th five-year plan, the government plans to provide training for over 1.2 million people. The rural labor personnel who are seeking job for the first time, or those who have no experience or formal training, need to go through a complete set of personnel training in terms of the national commonly-used language, discipline, physical capabilities, as well as general and professional skills.

“The plan will help to take the residents out of poverty by teaching them to 'fish' while solving the labor shortage”, said Yu Huan, deputy secretary general of the autonomous regional government.

Yu also stressed that the institutes are supposed to bear the responsibilities to ensure the qualifications of each trainee for the job upon the finishing of their training.

Edited by Anish Pandey