By Sun Yuqing (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-04-22 10:27

Students learn to sew at the Chongqing Three Gorges Vocational School in Fengdu, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, April 21, 2007. [chinadaily.com.cn/Sun Yuqing]

Fengdu, Chongqing -- Chongqing Municipality has been giving priority to free vocational training to promote the employment among the people relocated due to the Three Gorges Dam project, and this has been proven to be a successful practice.

Chongqing Three Gorges Vocational School was built upon a school that the government originally established to help mainly the laid-off workers in Fengdu, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. Now the vocational school has changed into a market-oriented and welfare training center with good reputations.

Some 60 percent of students are the Three Gorges Project migrants and others are those who want to upgrade their working skills.

Tian Xingmin, head of the school, said that all students receive vocational training free of charge and they receive the combined life support from both the government and some companies.

Since its founding in 2001, the school has trained more than 7,000 students, most of which work in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces and Shanghai.

"We used to pay the company to hire our graduated students as employees, but now the company will pay in advance to our school, so that we can train experienced workers for those companies." said the president.

Now the local government in Fengdu has planned to expand the support to those training schools and aims to train 8000 people this year in different fields, such as garment or welding. Those students will receive their education without paying the school fee and also enjoy other favorable policies, such as the free food or an annual subsidy of 300 yuan.

A student learns to sew a dress at the Chongqing Three Gorges Vocational School in Fengdu, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, April 21, 2007. [chinadaily.com.cn/Sun Yuqing]