China will subsidize vocational training for more than 10 million people this year and build a skills-training system that runs through people's entire careers, an official said Saturday.
Wang Xiaoping, Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, outlined the country's vocational training plan at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress.
"At present, technological changes are advancing at an unprecedented pace, and skill renewal is accelerating. Learning has become an inevitable requirement of this era. We will build a lifelong vocational skills training system that covers the entire career process, tailored to the individualized needs of workers at different stages, striving to create a condition where everyone can study anywhere and anytime. We will carry out preparatory training and general skills training for newly emerging labor forces, apprenticeship training and on-the-job training for enterprise employees, and new skills training and entrepreneurship training for employees in job transfers," Wang said.
"This year, we will carry out large-scale vocational skills improvement training in depth, providing subsidized training for over 10 million people. It will focus on organizing specialized training for the low-altitude economy, new energy vehicles, artificial intelligence technology, and health care services, to better align with industries and serve employment," the minister said.
The 48th WorldSkills Competition is scheduled to be held in Shanghai from September 22 to 27 this year.
Noting that the WorldSkills Competition is the world's largest and most influential skills event, the minister said it has set the direction and trend for vocational skills development and played a significant role in promoting economic growth, technological progress, and talent cultivation since its inception in 1950.
"We will earnestly implement the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping to ‘present a WorldSkills Competition that is innovative and widely influential to the world’. With the theme of ‘Skills Change the World and Illuminate the Future’, we will present a splendid and successful event with high standards and quality. At the same time, taking the opportunity of holding the competition, we will pay more attention to investing in people and inspire more young people to illuminate their bright future with their skills," Wang said.
China to subsidize vocational training for over 10 million people in 2026
Holiday cheer is building across China, with seasonal products driving a boom in the consumer market, as the Dragon Boat Festival and its holiday are approaching.
The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Duanwu Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. This year, the festival falls on June 19, with the three-day holiday running through June 21.
In Shanghai, many time-honored food brands have entered their peak sales season. Classic varieties of zongzi, the sticky rice dumplings, with fillings such as pork and red bean remain strong sellers. At the same time, many vendors in the city have also introduced innovative flavors to attract customers. New offerings such as black glutinous rice with red bean paste zongzi have proven particularly popular.
In major grocery stores across Lanzhou City, northwest China's Gansu Province, zongzi incorporating local specialty ingredients, such as lily bulbs and roses, have become top choices for shoppers.
Beyond festive foods, traditional customs are also driving seasonal demand. The Dragon Boat Festival is typically marked by the hanging of mugwort and calamus - a custom believed to ward off illness and evil spirits.
In Qidong City, east China's Jiangsu Province, mugwort farms have entered their busiest harvest period of the year, as they are producing more than 100,000 bundles daily for shipment to major supermarkets across the Yangtze River Delta region.
To the southwest of Qidong, Kunming City in Yunnan Province has seen a growing demand for festival-themed plants, such as calamus, fragrant wood and craspedia. The city's largest online fresh flower wholesale platform reported sales of 295,000 bundles of Dragon Boat Festival flowers so far this month, double the volume recorded during the same period last year.
In addition, local governments across China have also rolled out various service measures to ensure smooth operation of cultural and tourism markets during the holiday period.
East China's Fujian Province will offer more than 350 cultural and tourism activities and over 120 public welfare measures during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.
Multiple scenic spots in south China's Guangdong Province have activated holiday support mechanisms to extend store operating hours and optimize time-slot reservations to enhance visitor experience.
Up north, in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, cultural and tourism consumption vouchers worth 15 million yuan (about 2.1 million U.S. dollars) have been issued for key sectors such as major scenic areas, hotels, homestays and cultural entertainment venues to further stimulate holiday spending.
Dragon Boat Festival spurs seasonal sales as festive atmosphere builds
