BEIJING, Sept. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China.org.cn on the second Vocational Skills Competition of China:

For those who love Chinese gourmet, many must have enjoyed the hand-pulling noodle performance at hot pot restaurants. At this year's Vocational Skills Competition, you can also enjoy fantastic noodle stretching performances: In the hands of the chef, noodles magically materialize from a lump of dough in a variety of forms: as thin as a hair, or wide as a belt.

Besides the hand-pulled noodle techniques, 29 other unique skills including the "wooden ox", humanoid robots, and mortise and tenon woodwork will also be staged at the competition for show, which will for sure be a sight to sore eyes.

Of course, the shows are barely the essence. What makes the second Vocational Skills Competition stand out is the contests.

Compared to the last competition, some new events that require digital technology skills have been added to this year's competition, such as smart manufacturing engineering, service robot application and VR engineering. It was new consumer demand as well as the rapid development of digital technologies that gave rise to these new vocations and further catalyzed their entry into the competitions. For example, as the whole population ages, the number of working age people gets smaller, so service robots have been widely used in areas like education, logistics and security patrolling. Naturally, "service robot technician" came into being as a new vocation, and request feedbacks, as well as the application and promotion of service robots are part of their job.

Traditional competition events are all the same breath-taking. A great majority of events that appeared last time will make a comeback, while some new events are being added to the competition this year, such as robot welding and computer software testing. The new changes aim to facilitate the application of digital technologies in traditional fields, so as to drive development towards efficiency and high-quality. Setting new vocational skills as competition events will help them garner more attention, which brings in more opportunities for development and larger potential for employment.

This year, the Vocational Skills Competition already received broad attention during its preparation stage. Not only are the candidates in high spirits, but the event is also much anticipated by the public. I think, this reflects the strengthening of vocational talent building in China, who now are bigger in number, sharper in skills, more diligent in attitudes and more determined in spirits. Moreover, it's an epitome of increased attention and respect for vocational talents from the public.

In recent years, China has been dedicating efforts to eradicating prejudice towards vocational education as inferior to academic education.

A better image for vocational education has been built. Chinese President Xi Jinping once encouraged more workers, especially the younger generation to sharpen their skills and become seasoned vocational professionals. Last year, the revised version of the Vocational Education Law of PRC confirmed the equally important status of vocational and academic education, an act that aims to elevate the credibility of the former.

At the same time, China has also been improving the quality of vocational education. It has deepened reforms in the modern vocational education system, increasing the educational capacity of vocational schools, and advancing the coordination between industry demands and vocational training, with an ultimate goal of cultivating high-skilled talents and human capital with professional skills.

Currently, there are more than 60 million high-skilled talents in China, accounting for 30% of all technical workers in the country. These talents in various fields are playing an indispensable role in China's pursuit for high-quality development, while serving as significant human capital support on the Chinese path to modernization.

China Mosaic 
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm
The second Vocational Skills Competition showcase brilliant skills
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2023-09/15/content_116688596.htm