Profile:

Shi Wenmei, Han ethnicity, a deputy to the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC), was an excellent graduate majoring in Township Enterprise Management enrolled in 2013 at the Zhejiang Branch of the Open University of China (OUC).

Now, she is the director of the R&D Centre of Huzhou Taiping Micro Special Motor Co., Ltd. She was listed as a “Good Samaritan of China” in 2013 and was awarded the honourary titles of “National Workers’ Professional Ethics” in 2013, “National May 1st Labor Medal” in 2016, “National March 8th Red-Banner Pacesetter”, and “National Work Model”.

Shi Wenmei, the technical leader of Huzhou Taiping Micro Special Motor Co., Ltd.,  is not originally from a motor background. However, with her spirit of never giving up and daring to explore, she has led the enterprise to transform  from an OEM to an enterprise with independent R&D capability. As a result, their lift door opener motor products have taken a lead in the global market.

Being engaged in the special motor industry for more than 30 years, Shi Wenmei has been committed to tackling technical problems. Last year, she successfully led her team to complete the development of over 150 new products. These products are now in mass production and mainly used in fields such as aviation, aerospace, navigation, deep diving.

According to Shi Wenmei, for an enterprise to become a driving force in high-quality development, it must be driven by innovation. And innovation requires the cultivation of a large number of high-quality talent, including those with high technical skills. In her first participation in the National People's Congress and CPPCC in 2023, she advocated for the skilled personnel, and proposed implementation of a system where wages are determined based on skill level.

From being a front-line worker to becoming a motor expert, Shi Wenmei has always focused on  the people and issues around her. Through her work and research, she found that many enterprises face difficulties in attracting skilled workers, while vocational school students, on the other hand, struggle to find suitable employment. She believes that these problems can be solved at the talent cultivation stage. She found that vocational colleges lack materials and equipment, and students’ practical skills are often weak. However, through cooperation between enterprises and schools, these weaknesses can be effectively addressed.

At this year’s Two Sessions, she suggested promoting the equal treatment of vocational college graduates in terms of settlement, employment, recruitment, professional title evaluation and rank promotion, just as ordinary university graduates are entitled to. She also proposed overall coordination of vocational colleges’ professional development system across the country and closer connection between regional industries and specialized universities. At the same time, she made suggestions to encourage various industry enterprises to actively participate in all aspects of education and teaching, jointly establish modern industrial colleges, and form a talent collaborative training mode that involves multiple stakeholders.

“Promoting the university-enterprise cooperation can empower both sides and build a strong industry force with high quality and high skills for the new era,” said Shi Wenmei.

Compiled by OUC News Network from Guangming Daily, CNR, Huzhou People’s Congress, and The Paper