Skilled talents are the core force that supports the development of the real economy and cultivates new productive forces. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has been soliciting opinions from the public since the 12th on the "Regulations on the Evaluation of Skilled Talents". As my country's first administrative regulations on the evaluation of skilled talents, this marks a solid step forward in the legalization of the evaluation of skilled talents in my country.
In recent years, the number of skilled talent evaluation agencies has increased significantly, and their qualifications are uneven. Some evaluations are not strictly controlled, and there are even "copycat certificates" and irregularities in obtaining subsidies. In the future, how will “copycat certificates” be managed and how will the evaluation of skilled talents be further standardized? The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security organized authoritative experts to interpret it.
Three types of evaluations are in their proper place: professional qualifications, grade recognition, and special assessments with clear boundaries
The types of skilled talent evaluation specified in the "Regulations" mainly include competency level evaluation activities such as professional qualification evaluation, professional skill level recognition, and special professional ability assessment. Chen Yujie, a researcher at the China Academy of Labor and Social Security Sciences, said that the Regulations have strict management requirements from evaluation subjects and evaluation standards to organizational implementation, certificate management, and quality supervision.
Chen Yujie: Among them, professional qualifications are administrative licenses, which are carried out by the professional qualification implementation department and its designated institutions, and are subject to catalog list management. Professional qualifications are not allowed to be set up without permission or professional qualification licensing activities are carried out outside the catalog. Vocational skill level recognition is subject to record management and is implemented by enterprises, institutions, and social organizations; special professional ability assessments are organized and implemented by the provincial human resources and social security departments in conjunction with industry authorities.
Evaluation standards and management of evaluation institutions are the core content of the "Regulations". After the professional qualifications of skilled personnel in the level evaluation category were changed to socialized grade recognition, the state gradually retreated and implemented "who employs people, who evaluates them, who issues certificates, and who is responsible", which will be implemented by enterprises, institutions, and social organizations. Li Fucheng, a professor at the School of Liberal Arts at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, said that evaluation institutions must continue to have the ability to carry out evaluation activities.
Li Fucheng: The "Regulations" stipulate that the state implements record-keeping management of vocational skill level recognition for enterprises, institutions, and social organizations. It is clear that the management system, appropriate personnel and venues, facilities and equipment, test question resources, etc. must be in place to carry out vocational skill level recognition. When an evaluation agency does not meet the conditions, it should promptly withdraw from evaluation activities in accordance with the law, otherwise it will bear legal responsibility.
Strictly manage evaluation institutions and certificates: draw legal red lines for evaluation activities
For workers, skills evaluation certificates are undoubtedly the "golden key" that opens the door to employment opportunities. However, some training institutions use misleading labels and expressions such as "official certification", "employment certificate" and "recruitment basis", claiming that they have specific connections with industry authorities and their affiliated institutions, and under the guise of "guaranteed exams", they alienate talent evaluation into "business experience". Cheng Xiezhong, a professor at the School of Law of China University of Political Science and Law, said that these issues urgently require legislative regulation at the national level.
Cheng Xiezhong: The formulation of the "Regulations" clarifies the evaluation standards, evaluation subjects and evaluation behaviors, as well as the legal liability for illegal evaluations, consolidates the results of the reform of skilled talent evaluation, fixes the results of the special management of "copycat certificates", fills the legislative gap in the skilled talent evaluation system, and will provide strong support for promoting the legalization of skilled talent evaluation.
The "Regulations" stipulate that no unit or individual may carry out evaluation activities or issue certificates in the name of professional qualification evaluation, professional skill level recognition, or special professional ability assessment without registration; no unit or individual may forge, alter, or buy or sell professional qualification certificates, professional skill level certificates, or special professional ability certificates. Skilled talent evaluation agencies are not allowed to use relevant logos and words in violation of regulations, publish false information, or exaggerate propaganda to mislead workers.
Li Fucheng: These regulations mainly draw legal red lines in the management of "copycat certificates" such as forging and altering purchase and sale certificates, conducting evaluation activities in the name of authoritative institutions, and making false propaganda to mislead workers. The purpose is to crack down on illegal evaluation activities, maintain the credibility and authority of the skilled talent evaluation system, and ensure that workers have fair evaluation and employment opportunities through their own learning and efforts.
"Let go" but also "control": Diversified supervision promotes closed loop of the whole process
Enterprises can make appropriate adjustments to the national occupational standards based on the special requirements of the enterprise's type of work (position), but in principle, the content of the adjustment should not be lower than the requirements of the national occupational standards. Enterprises can comprehensively use process-based assessment, modular assessment, performance review, direct identification and other evaluation methods. At the same time, the state encourages and supports industry associations, chambers of commerce, societies, enterprises and colleges (including technical schools) to actively participate in the development and research of different types of standards based on the needs of modern industrial development, and promulgate and implement mature industry evaluation specifications and enterprise evaluation specifications as national occupational standards after evaluation and demonstration.
Cheng Xiezhong pointed out that at present, there is still a gap between the total number of highly skilled talents in my country and the upgrading needs of the manufacturing industry. The "Regulations" reflect the importance of the evaluation of skilled talents to the development of industry and even the overall economic and social development in many places.
Cheng Xie Zhong: For example, the design of the talent evaluation system that focuses on craftsmanship and professional ethics, professional abilities and work performance in the general principles reflects the orientation of the actual needs of the service industry; the dynamic update requirements of occupational classification information in Chapter 2 reflect the timely follow-up of industry development trends; the special circumstances of the identification of professional skill levels in Chapter 4 also reflect the full evaluation of the actual ability of industrial workers to serve the industry, especially the focus on skilled personnel with outstanding performance in "mentoring and apprenticeship" can reflect the consideration of ensuring the sustainable and stable development of the industry.
After the evaluation agency has become "relaxed", "control" has become the key. The "Regulations" build a diversified supervision system that combines government supervision, credit constraints, and social supervision, and promote the transformation of supervision methods into "whole-process closed-loop supervision." The human resources and social security departments have established a coordinated supervision mechanism with the Internet Information, Public Security, Market Supervision and other departments to jointly crack down on cross-domain illegal activities involving false propaganda, online certificate sales, fraud, etc.
Chen Yujie: The "Regulations" require the human resources and social security departments and industry authorities to carry out daily supervision through on-site inspections, random inspections, big data verification and other methods in accordance with the relevant provisions on administrative inspections, so as to reduce interference with the normal activities of evaluation institutions while maintaining the coverage of supervision. The "Regulations" establish a credit management system for skilled talent evaluation, implement joint punishments for seriously dishonest entities, and provide incentives for trustworthy institutions. The introduction of credit supervision has upgraded supervision from "one-time inspection" to "continuous restraint", forming a long-term mechanism in which "the trustworthy will benefit and the dishonest will be restricted".
