On November 21st, the Guizhou Provincial Department of Civil Affairs and 12 other departments jointly issued the "Implementation Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of the Elderly Care Service Talent Team", which stated that efforts should be made to accelerate the training of elderly care talents by encouraging the attraction of talents through multiple channels and channels, promoting the deep integration of industry and education, establishing a mechanism for joint enrollment, joint training, order based training, and integrated education between schools and enterprises, and supporting and motivating more vocational colleges (including technical colleges) and graduates of relevant majors from ordinary undergraduate colleges to engage in elderly care services. As of the end of 2023, the population aged 60 and above in China has exceeded 290 million. According to data released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs on October 21, as of the end of the second quarter of 2024, there were 410000 various types of elderly care service institutions and facilities in China, including 369000 community elderly care service institutions and facilities, which increased by 1 and 1.2 times respectively compared to 2019. The demand for elderly care institutions and services among the elderly population is increasing, and the supply-demand contradiction is prominent. The country has proposed to vigorously develop the silver economy and introduced a series of policies to support its development. On January 15, 2024, the "Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Developing the Silver Hair Economy and Enhancing the Welfare of the Elderly" was released, which is the first specialized document issued by the country to support the development of the silver hair economy. The 2024 government work report also proposes to strengthen the supply of elderly goods and services and vigorously develop the silver economy. The primary task in developing the silver economy is to strengthen the construction of the elderly care talent team. However, the current elderly care service industry generally faces difficulties in recruiting and retaining employees, and the elderly care talent team has practical problems such as a small number, old age, low education level, and weak skills. At present, civil affairs and human resources departments in various regions have introduced policies to support relevant universities, vocational colleges, technical schools, and social training institutions in cultivating elderly care service talents in various ways. At the end of 2023, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and 12 other departments jointly issued the "Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of the Talent Team for Elderly Care Services", which made arrangements for attracting, cultivating, utilizing and retaining talents in all aspects. The document proposes to pilot elderly care workers, improve the vocational skill level system for elderly care service skilled talents, add technical positions (positions) for special grade technicians and chief technicians, and supplement apprentices, forming a new eight level vocational skill level (position) sequence consisting of apprentices, junior workers, intermediate workers, senior workers, technicians, senior technicians, special grade technicians, and chief technicians, and cultivating more high-level vocational skill level elderly care service skilled talents. Tan Lingfang, associate professor at Beijing Vocational College of Labor and Social Security and leader of Beijing Elderly Service and Management, stated in an interview with China Youth Daily and China Youth Network that the eight level work system for elderly care workers can broaden their career development channels and provide more career development opportunities for them. By continuously improving their skills, elderly care workers can be promoted to higher technical levels, thereby obtaining higher professional status and income. Liu Xinshuang, a nursing staff member at a nursing institution in Daxing District, Beijing, has been working in the front line of elderly care for 3 years after graduating from university. She has been twice rated as a "service model for dementia and disability areas" by the institution. She strives to improve her operational skills and achieve standardized services in her work. At present, Liu Xinshuang is preparing to obtain the relevant certificate of "Elderly Care Worker" issued by the recognized institution of Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau. She hopes that the government will link the evaluation of eighth level elderly care workers with the "star rating" evaluation of enterprises, and increase the enthusiasm of enterprises to promote the evaluation of elderly care talents. Yang Ting, the project leader working at a nursing home in Changping District, Beijing, said, "At present, the professional title system has not been established. Most of the nursing staff we recruit are in their forties or fifties, 90% of whom come from rural areas and rarely participate in professional title evaluation. If professional title evaluation is difficult to implement, many nursing staff with college or above education will resign after working for less than two years." Tan Lingfang believes that the eight level work system for nursing staff can help strengthen the training of nursing service talents and establish an evaluation mechanism. In June 2024, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security issued a notice on strengthening support measures to promote the development and growth of the silver haired economy, requiring an increase in the training of technical and skilled talents in the silver haired economy, including key enterprises in the silver haired economy field in the scope of employment service guarantee, and helping to stabilize and expand employment. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security will guide employers in the silver economy to independently conduct skill talent evaluations, support medical personnel engaged in various professional and technical work such as medical treatment, rehabilitation, and nursing in elderly care service institutions to participate in vocational qualification examinations or professional title evaluations according to regulations, and set up specialized events in relevant vocational skill competitions. According to the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, Jiangsu Province will be the first in the country to establish parallel professional titles for elderly care and nursing, as well as titles such as physician, nurse, pharmacist, etc. in 2023. Tan Lingfang pointed out that the lack of talent in the elderly care field is closely related to the narrow career advancement channel. At present, there are three main career advancement channels for young talents in the elderly care field: academic education, vocational skill level, and professional title system. At present, in terms of academic education, a pathway has been formed from vocational school, college, undergraduate to master's degree education. At her school, there were a total of 152 college graduates majoring in Smart Health Elderly Care Service and Management in 2021, and 59 of them were directly admitted to the undergraduate program at Capital Medical University through comprehensive training. The implementation of the eight level work system for elderly care workers will help improve the quality of elderly care service talents, broaden career development channels, enhance service quality, and provide support for the high-quality development of elderly care services Tan Lingfang said. (New Society)