China to promote occupational skill ranking system

China will phase out all performance-based qualifications for skilled personnel and pursue an occupational skill ranking system to train market-oriented skilled workers.

Qualification evaluations will be rolled out by related organizations and employers, said Tang Tao, deputy head of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, at a routine news briefing on Jan 2.

To ensure the quality of the evaluations, China vows to strengthen supervision throughout the process and implement a registration system for related organizations.

To date, the nation has piloted the shift in about 18 centrally administered State-owned enterprises and some 900 firms from 30 provinces and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, issuing over 40,000 qualification certifications.

Authorities will select third-party organizations to conduct evaluations of social members and workers of small and micro firms without appraisal conditions, and establish national professional standards and rules.