Free technical training project in poverty relief

Around 1,000 technical schools in China will provide free training to impoverished people from 2016 to 2020, according to a circular issued recently.

According to a document issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, anyone who is able to work from a poverty-stricken household can receive free technical training.

Local governments should implement national polices on student subsidies and free tuition, and formulate regional polices on the deduction and exemption of other fees, as well as on offering living allowances, the circular said.

Impoverished families involved in the project can receive a yearly subsidy of 3,000 yuan (450 U.S. dollars) for each student, which will be drawn from a fiscal poverty relief fund.

At present, there are over 3.2 million people studying in 2,454 technical schools nationwide, of which over 75 percent come from rural areas.