China is proactively increasing its commitment towards building a skilled and innovative workforce by launching technical centers for empowering youth. In November 2024, the China-Pakistan Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Industrial Center of Excellence was opened at the Belt and Road Digital Education Development Forum in Beijing.
This center specializes in training Pakistani youth in different fields such as Chinese language, Internet of Things (IoT), automation, textiles, big data, and engineering. The program includes creating digital curricula and offering teacher training to enhance vocational knowledge, hence stimulating economic cooperation between China and Pakistan. Besides overseas collaborations, China is also investing in local youth.
In January of 2025, the Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CAST) came out with an initiative to promote young scientists who have potential. The program addresses doctoral candidates younger than 30 years old majoring in natural sciences, engineering, agricultural science, and medicine. The winners are given allowances of up to 40,000 yuan (about 5,565 dollars) to take part in international academic conferences, publish papers on research, and study abroad as exchange students.
The initiative is looking to extend its assistance to around 10,000 candidates every year by 2025, representing more than 15 percent of graduates in related fields each year. These efforts fit into China's overall plan to develop a "quality workforce" that can spur innovation and technological progress. In July 2024, the Communist Party's Central Committee set a 2029 deadline to develop such a workforce, emphasizing the importance of education, science, technology, and talent as foundational elements for modernization.
Additionally, policies have been introduced to ensure that individuals under the age of 40 constitute at least 50 percent of core staff in major research projects, further promoting youth involvement in scientific and technological endeavors. Through these efforts, China showcases a holistic approach to youth development that integrates international collaboration, homegrown talent development, and policy-making to establish a strong foundation for future economic and technological development.
