Wei Ziping and Ding Ning: Promoting the Development of New Quality Productive Forces Through High-Quality Youth Talent Work
General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized: "Developing new quality productive forces is an intrinsic requirement and a major focus for promoting high-quality development. We must continue to do a good job in the great endeavor of [1] innovation to accelerate the development of new quality productive forces." Youth in the New Era are an important force for promoting scientific and technological progress and industrial upgrading, shouldering the heavy mission and responsibility of developing new quality productive forces. In January 2024, the Ministry of Natural Resources issued the Specific Measures on Further Strengthening the Cultivation and Utilization of Young Scientific and Technological Talents to further increase cultivation efforts, expand growth opportunities, and support young scientific and technological talents in "taking the lead" [2] and "playing the leading role." On the new journey, we must scientifically grasp the laws governing youth work in the New Era, deeply implement the strategy of strengthening the nation through personnel [3], and promote the deep integration of the "talent chain" with the innovation and industrial chains. We must transform talent advantages into advantages for innovation and development, promoting the development of new quality productive forces through high-quality work concerning young talents.
In accordance with the requirements for developing new quality productive forces, smooth the virtuous cycle of education, science and technology, and talent, and improve the working mechanisms for talent cultivation, introduction, utilization, and rational flow.
Youth are the most active and vital force in the whole of social power. They are full of vigor, quick-thinking, and possess the greatest creative vitality. They have made active and outstanding contributions to the Party’s central work during different historical periods, including the revolution, construction, and reform [4]. They are a fresh force for upholding and improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and for advancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. On the new journey of Chinese-path modernization, we must break down institutional and mechanical obstacles to the growth and development of talent, gathering outstanding individuals from all sectors into the cause of the Party and the people.
Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core—based on the overall strategic coordination of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the world's profound changes unseen in a century [5]—made the major strategic decision that "we must regard innovation as the primary driving force leading development." The Central Committee has placed talent work at the key position of the overall situation of national governance, emphasizing the need to persist in the priority development of education, self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and the driving force of talent leadership. The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC emphasized that we must persist in the principle that science and technology are the primary productive force, talent is the primary resource, and innovation is the primary driving force, deeply implementing the strategy for invigorating China through science and education, the strategy of strengthening the nation through personnel, and the innovation-driven development strategy. For the first time, work in education, science and technology, and talent was considered as a whole and deployed integrally.
During the eleventh collective study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "In accordance with the requirements for developing new quality productive forces, we must smooth the virtuous cycle of education, science and technology, and talent, and improve the working mechanisms for talent cultivation, introduction, utilization, and rational flow." In July 2024, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed that "education, science and technology, and talent are the foundational and strategic pillars of Chinese-path modernization," and focused on constructing institutional mechanisms to support comprehensive innovation, making detailed deployments for the integrated reform of institutional mechanisms in these three areas. Currently, China already possesses a talent force that is massive in scale, excellent in quality, continuously optimizing in structure, and increasingly prominent in impact. However, there is still a gap compared to the requirements for developing new quality productive forces. We must seize the strategic initiative, continuously optimize talent cultivation models, create a better development environment for young people, and stimulate their innovative spirit and creative capacity.
Improve the youth work system with systems thinking, and further strengthen the cultivation and utilization of young scientific and technological talents.
Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has approached the issue from the strategic height of ensuring the Party and state’s cause is passed from one generation to the next with available successors [6]. The Committee has incorporated the growth and success of youth into the overall layout of national governance and national rejuvenation, attaching great importance to and vigorously promoting youth work. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out the need to "create a massive force of young scientific and technological talents." On the new journey, we must implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, persist in systems thinking, accurately grasp the general requirements and main tasks of the Party’s youth work in the New Era, and guide youth to become the vanguard force for achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, letting the "flower of youth" bloom in the heat of the practice of achieving high-quality development and advancing Chinese-path modernization.
Persist in innovation-driven development and stimulate the innovative and creative vitality of youth. The core of doing a good job in youth work in the New Era is to emphasize the systemic, holistic, and coordinated nature of youth work through institutional building, further improving the degree to which youth work is scientific, standardized, procedural, and normalized. Youth work should focus on cultivating innovative thinking in young people, encouraging them to break through traditional constraints and explore unknown fields. By establishing innovation projects and hosting innovation competitions, we provide platforms for youth to display themselves and exchange ideas, stimulating their innovative inspiration and creative potential.
Creating an open, inclusive, and innovation-encouraging atmosphere is an important guarantee for stimulating youth vitality. Youth work should strive to construct a policy, institutional, and cultural environment conducive to the growth of talent, providing necessary support in capital, technology, and information so that youth dare to, are good at, and find joy in innovation. Innovation is not a castle in the air; it must be rooted in practice. Youth work should guide youth to go to the grassroots and the front lines, to understand the conditions of the country and the people [7], and to combine their knowledge with practical problems, enhancing their problem-solving abilities through practical tempering while discovering new problems and opportunities to promote the transformation and application of innovative achievements.
Promote integrated development and gather the youthful force for developing new quality productive forces. Encourage youth to engage in cross-field and cross-disciplinary exchange and cooperation, promoting the deep integration of new quality productive forces with traditional industries to give rise to new business forms and models. By building platforms for cooperation between industry, academia, research, and application, we facilitate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into actual productive forces, allowing youth to achieve the unification of self-value and social value in the process of participating in innovative practice. Meanwhile, strengthen ideological and political education to guide youth in establishing a correct worldview, outlook on life, and values, integrating personal ideals into the overall development of the nation.
In response to the needs of developing new quality productive forces, implement more precise and effective talent cultivation plans, and increase support for young scientific and technological talent and innovative talent. The core of new quality productive forces lies in innovation, and young talents are precisely the main force of innovation. Through education, training, and practice, we must encourage them to explore and practice in various fields of new quality productive forces, continuously breaking through technical bottlenecks. The development of new quality productive forces cannot be separated from the support and promotion of industry. We must promote the deep integration of young talent with industry, encouraging them to understand industrial needs and trends. At the same time, enterprises should be encouraged to strengthen cooperation with young talents.
Optimize talent flow and allocation mechanisms, and strengthen the management of young innovative talents. Through solidly promoting the improvement of the youth work system, we strive to forge a team of "experts" [8] in youth work who care for the masses of youth, base their work on youth, remain deeply rooted in youth, rely fully on youth, and do everything for the benefit of youth. We must promote the free and orderly flow of talent resource elements across different fields, departments, industries, and regions to achieve optimized allocation. Strengthen the supervision of the flow of young innovative talent to prevent brain drain and waste. Guide young scientific and technological talent to gather in key fields and critical positions, implementing more active, open, and effective talent policies.
As the builders and successors of the future, youth in the New Era shoulder the important mission of leading future development. Through continuous learning, practice, and innovation, young talents will promote the progress of new quality productive forces, laying a solid foundation for high-quality economic and social development. We must strengthen educational guidance to enhance the scientific literacy and technical capability of youth through curriculum design and teacher training, enabling the younger generation to actively devote themselves to national technological innovation, "writing their papers on the soil of the motherland" [9], and advancing high-quality national development. The masses of youth must respond to the call of the times for talent, seize opportunities and challenges, and inject more youthful strength into the development of new quality productive forces, helping to realize China’s high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and strength.
"Young talent is the source of living water [10] for the national strategic talent force." On the new journey, we must place the policy focus of cultivating the national strategic talent force on young scientific and technological talents. Through systemic top-level design, we should give young talents more trust, better help, and more powerful support, enabling them to take the lead and play the leading role. We must further improve policy support and incentive measures so that young scientific and technological talents can settle down, feel at ease, and devote themselves to their careers, empowering the development of new quality productive forces.
(Authors: Wei Ziping is a teacher at the School of Public Administration and Law, Anhui University of Technology; Ding Ning is an undergraduate student at the School of Public Administration and Law, Anhui University of Technology)
Source: People’s Forum (Qiushi's website) Web Editor: Huihui