At present, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and major cities in the Yangtze River Delta region have all launched upgraded industrial talent policies, and the competition for high-quality talents has currently become the focus of a new round of regional innovation competition in China.
The report of the 19th CPC National Congress proposed that “efforts should be made to speed up the construction of an industrial system featuring coordinated development of the real economy, scientific & technological innovation, modern finance and human resources”, with specific requirements being made with respect to stimulating and protecting entrepreneurial spirit, building up an labour force of knowledge-based, skill-oriented and innovative-type workers, cultivating and training scientific and technological innovation talents and high-level innovation teams. At present, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and major cities in the Yangtze River Delta region have all launched upgraded industrial talent policies, and the competition for high-quality talents has become the focus of a new round of regional innovation competition in China.
Advantages and shortcomings of Shanghai’s industrial talent team
Talents are the foundation of building a powerful manufacturing country. At present, it’s necessary to speed up the cultivation of professional technical personnel, management personnel and skilled personnel urgently needed for the development of the manufacturing industry. In Opinions on Making All-out Efforts to Develop Shanghai’s “Four Major Brands” and Taking the Lead in Promoting High-Quality Development issued by the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, it states that grasping talents is the first choice and the best way for Shanghai to build strategic advantages, develop strategic brands, and achieve strategic goals. The Three-Year Action Plan (2018-2020) of Making All-out Efforts to Develop “Made in Shanghai” Brands and Accelerating the Progress Towards a Global Manufacturing Base of Excellence puts forward bringing together new resources of “Made in Shanghai” through the ties of famous experts. Efforts should be made to pool a group of outstanding manufacturing talents led by outstanding scientists, run by excellent entrepreneurs, and supported by skilled craftsmen.
At present, the good situation of industries gathering talents, talents leading industries, and the integration and development of talents and industries is taking shape quickly in Shanghai. The career environment and social living environment for the development of industrial talents are increasingly optimized, and the value realization of industrial talents is continuously improved. The competitive advantage of attracting excellent industrial talents at home and abroad is also constantly improved. At the same time, the coexistence of industrial talent optimization and structural shortage in Shanghai is also quite obvious. The number and scale of leader-type entrepreneurial talents with international quality, high-level industrial technological innovation talents, scientific & technological entrepreneurial talents and highly-skilled industrial talents are not sufficient. While the environment for talent development is improved, there are still some problems to be solved, such as high labor cost and difficulty for start-ups to hire talents.
Earnestly adopt new measures for the development of industrial talents
Facing the new task of developing “Made in Shanghai” brands, representing the country to participate in global industrial innovation competition, and building itself as a global city of excellence, Shanghai industrial talent work needs to scientifically understand new trends in industrial talent development, earnestly adopt new measures for the development of industrial talents, and closely focus on the new demand for industrial innovation and upgrading, to establish a talent advantage in “Made in Shanghai” brands.
(I) Determine the strategic target positioning for the development of industrial talents from a global perspective
In the face of new deployments in New York, London, Tokyo and other global cities in recent years to attract and cultivate industrial innovation and entrepreneurial talents and skilled personnel, Shanghai needs to use global vision, use global rules, and gather global resources to enhance Shanghai's industrial development and attract global excellence, improve the level of global talent services to support the innovation and development of “Made in Shanghai”, and improve the comparative advantage of Shanghai’s industrial talent system in international competition, thus making Shanghai an excellent global manufacturing talent highland. In particular, efforts should be made to bring together a group of world-class scientists in the strategic fields of major national need and industry frontiers, introduce and cultivate a pool of high-level leading innovative talents, and form a number of talented people who gather world-class industrial talents, so as to vigorously support the construction of Shanghai as a global manufacturing base of excellence.
(II) Optimize the industrial talent development policy environment with institutional reform
Efforts should be made to promote the deepening and implementation of talent related policies issued by the State and the Municipality in the manufacturing sector, and accelerate the solution to prominent problems facing the development of manufacturing talents, such as the high cost of employment, difficulties in housing, settling down, evaluation and recruitment by start-ups of talents, and the low level of talent internationalization. Meanwhile, in view of the fragmentation of talent policy resources and the low efficiency of implementation and coordination, practical and effective reform measures should be put forward to overcome such problems in order to ensure the full play of the effectiveness of various talent policies.
(III) Explore the reform of the industrial talent management mode through mechanism innovation
The district-led mechanism of promoting the work of industrial talents with the linkage of urban districts should be strengthened and the effectiveness of promoting the work of industrial talents should be improved; establish a cooperative mechanism among government departments in charge of industrial management, important industry organizations, key industrial parks and leading enterprises in the industry; establish a cooperative linkage mechanism among government departments in charge of industrial talents, professional social organizations for talents and market-oriented institutions for talents; and establish a supply-demand communication and coordination mechanism among industrial management departments, education management departments, key enterprises, personnel training institutions for key industries.
(IV) Promote the optimal allocation of talent development resources with a special talent program
The Excellent Manufacturing Talent Program should be implemented and the efforts in supporting excellent manufacturing talents should be strengthened. Investment in the work of human resources should be increased, special funds for excellent manufacturing talents should be given an overall plan and arrangement, and the support for highly qualified talents for engineering and industrial applications should be given priority. The CIO and CQO training programs should be organized by category and in batches.
(V) Speed up the cultivation of highly skilled talents with major events as an opportunity
We should advocate and carry forward the craftsmanship spirit of striving for perfection and devoting wholeheartedly to work, create a cultural atmosphere of craftsmanship and improve the career development and living environment of skilled talents with the preparation and holding of the 46th World Skills Competition in 2021 as an opportunity, so as to build a group of professional and first-class “Shanghai engineers” and skilled “Shanghai masters”, and build a number of training bases for highly skilled manufacturing talents.
(VI) Optimize the development ecology of industrial talents with service integration
The catalogue of talent demand in Shanghai’s key industries should be formulated and updated in a timely manner, the mechanism of talent demand analysis and information release in key enterprises and key industries should be established, and accurate target information for precise introduction of key personnel should be released. Professional social organizations and professional human resource service institutions in the field of industrial talents should be actively cultivated, new type of think tanks for industrial talent research and alliances for industrial talent development should be established, and the level of professional services for industrial talents should be improved. Information technology and intelligent technology should be fully utilized to provide professional, systematic, personalized and convenient services for the development of manufacturing talents in Shanghai.
(VII) Improve the training and supply quality of industrial talents through the integration of production and education
The level of coordination among government, enterprises, colleges and trade organizations in the training of industrial talents should be improved, the formation of such school-running patterns as “seamless” connection of “classroom-laboratory-engineering platform-pilot test base-industrialization base” and in-depth integration of production and education should be accelerated, and the pertinence and effectiveness of talents training in schools should be strengthened. Colleges and universities with outstanding advantages in science and engineering should be supported to build training bases for outstanding manufacturing talents in Shanghai, vocational and technical colleges or technical schools as well as professional trade organizations with strength should be supported to establish training bases for highly skilled talents. Enterprises should be guided and encouraged to invest in building application-oriented vocational colleges and business schools, so as to effectively improve the training and supply level of industrial talents.
(The author is a research fellow of Shanghai Academy and chief expert of industrial economy projects)
