Strictly Implementing Third-Party Certification Systems to Enhance Industry Credibility: Work Plan of the Center for 2014
As the first nationally recognized independent third-party talent evaluation and certification institution, the Shanghai Talent Evaluation & Identification Center (abbreviated: the Center) has been officially operating for nearly one year. Building on the pilot work of certificate verification in fiscal year 2013, the Center's work priorities for fiscal year 2014 are to carry out the following six tasks:
I. Overall Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2014
In fiscal year 2014, the guiding principles for the main work of the Center are to fully implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee and the requirements of competent government authorities, focus on the overall goal of 'serving economic transformation and ensuring independent fairness and impartiality', further strengthen development of certificate verification, establish and improve a scientific system with characteristics of third-party evaluation and certification, effectively improve quality and efficiency, build a high-caliber team leading development of the talent evaluation and certification industry, achieve the goal of 'striving for two years and exceeding expectations' by deepening comprehensive reform and promoting theoretical and institutional innovation based on practice.
In fiscal year 2014, the main approach to business development of the Center is: on the basis of summarizing achievements in fiscal year 2013, leverage strengths and address weaknesses; continue to promote successful experiences; analyze causes and solutions for difficulties; focus on key projects, critical links, and reform of the personnel mechanism to achieve breakthroughs; develop replicable and scalable new projects; further optimize the authorization-based operating model; achieve the development goal of 'visible annual improvement and substantial change within three years' on the basis of improved quality and efficiency; total revenue is expected to increase by about one time compared with the previous year, striving for a two-fold increase; complete annual work and economic targets.
II. Review Previous Year's Work and Continue Existing Services
I. Third-Party Talent Evaluation Services
1. Definition of Talent Evaluation
Talent evaluation is an important component of the institutional mechanism for talent development and a prerequisite for the development, management, and use of talent resources. Establishing a scientific mechanism for classified talent evaluation is important for promoting correct employment orientation, encouraging talent career development, stimulating innovation and entrepreneurship among talent, and accelerating the building of a talent-strong country. To innovate the talent evaluation mechanism and leverage its guiding role, the CPC Central Committee has put forward opinions on advancing reform of the classified talent evaluation mechanism in areas such as evaluation standards and methods.
Definition
China implements classified evaluation of science and technology talents and establishes evaluation and incentive mechanisms oriented toward capability and contribution. For personnel engaged in basic and frontier research, applied research, achievement transformation, and other activities, classified evaluation standards and methods shall be improved, emphasizing capability and performance. For basic research talents, medium- and long-term objectives shall be emphasized, representative works review shall be promoted, and evaluation shall shift from quantity of outputs to research quality, original value, and actual contribution, allowing scientists to adopt flexible working arrangements. For applied research and technology development talents, market validation and user evaluation shall be emphasized. For achievement transformation talents, assessment shall focus on technology transfer capability and the economic and social impact of research outcomes.
1. Talent Evaluation Standards
1.1 Implement Classified Evaluation.
Based on characteristics and responsibilities of talents in different occupations, positions, and levels, adhere to combining commonality and specificity, performance and development potential, qualitative and quantitative evaluation; establish and improve classified talent evaluation standards covering integrity, knowledge, competence, performance, contribution, and other elements, with scientific and reasonable focus. Accelerate development of evaluation standards for emerging occupations. Establish a dynamic mechanism for updating and adjusting evaluation standards.
1.2 Emphasize Integrity Evaluation.
Adhere to both virtue and ability, make integrity the primary content of talent evaluation, strengthen assessment of scientific spirit, professional ethics, and conduct, promote honesty and trustworthiness, strengthen social responsibility, resist superficiality and short-termism, and strictly address falsification and academic misconduct. Improve the integrity system for talent evaluation, establish records and disciplinary mechanisms for trustworthy commitments and dishonest behavior. Explore an evaluation exit mechanism based on moral conduct and integrity.
1.3 Set Evaluation Standards Scientifically.
Evaluate talents based on competence, actual performance, and contribution; overcome tendencies to rely solely on academic credentials, seniority, or publications; focus on professionalism, innovation, performance of duties, innovative achievements, and actual contributions. Address the one-size-fits-all problem in evaluation standards, reasonably set and use indicators such as publications, monographs, and impact factors, implement differentiated evaluation, and encourage talents to contribute and pursue excellence in different fields and positions.
2. Talent Evaluation Methods
2.1 Leverage multiple evaluation entities such as government, market, professional organizations, and employers to accelerate establishment of scientific, socialized, and market-oriented talent evaluation systems. In line with requirements for societal and industry recognition, establish industry evaluation mechanisms based on peer review, emphasize market and social evaluation, and leverage multiple evaluation entities. Basic research talents shall be evaluated primarily through peer academic review, with strengthened international peer review. Applied research and technology development talents shall emphasize market evaluation by relevant third parties such as users, markets, and experts. Enrich evaluation methods and scientifically and flexibly adopt examinations, reviews, combined assessment and appraisal, assessment certification, personal work reports, interview defenses, practical operations, and performance displays to improve targeted and precise evaluation. Strengthen construction of expert review databases and establish evaluation responsibility and credibility systems. Appropriately extend evaluation cycles for basic research talents.
2.2 Set talent evaluation cycles scientifically. Follow growth and development patterns of different types of talents, set evaluation and assessment cycles scientifically and reasonably, combine process and outcome evaluation, short-term and long-term evaluation, and avoid overly frequent assessment. Explore appointment-period evaluation systems. Emphasize medium- and long-term objectives, appropriately extend evaluation cycles for basic research talents, young talents, etc., and encourage sustained research and long-term accumulation.
2.3 Improve talent evaluation channels. Further remove restrictions based on household registration, region, ownership, identity, personnel relations, etc., and rely on qualified industry associations, professional societies, and public talent service institutions to improve application and evaluation channels for talents in non-public economic organizations, social organizations, emerging occupations, and other fields. Establish green evaluation channels for introduced overseas high-level talents and urgently needed scarce talents. Improve application and evaluation methods for foreign talents and talents from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.
2.4 Promote organic linkage among talent evaluation, project review, and institutional assessment. In accordance with requirements to produce both outcomes and talents, strengthen talent evaluation in reviews and assessments of engineering projects, science and technology programs, institutional platforms, and other areas, and improve mechanisms for evaluating and identifying talents in major scientific research, engineering projects, and demanding tasks. Deepen reforms in project review, talent evaluation, and institutional assessment, establish correct evaluation orientations, further streamline and integrate review matters, cancel or delegate them, optimize layouts, simplify procedures, improve methods, and reduce burdens on talents. Avoid evaluating talents solely based on titles from talent programs. Strengthen sharing of evaluation results to avoid multiple, frequent, and duplicate evaluations.
II. Actively Develop Evaluation Projects and Cooperatively Establish Evaluation Standards
The business functions of the Center include talent evaluation, project evaluation, and industry evaluation. However, because the Center's business only started in fiscal year 2013 and these evaluations are highly professional, it is urgent to establish and improve standards for talent evaluation, project evaluation, and industry evaluation; recruit professional evaluation technical personnel; and develop scientific and rigorous evaluation processes. With a highly responsible attitude toward evaluation work and clients, the key points of the Center's evaluation work in fiscal year 2014, based on client needs, are:
1. Actively introduce internationally leading evaluation standards and high-end professional evaluation talent, and develop talent evaluation, project evaluation, and industry evaluation services.
2. Cooperate with renowned domestic and overseas talent evaluation institutions, adopt a model of joint development, partial authorization, and cooperative operation, explore evaluation rules suited to China's national conditions, continuously summarize experience, gradually establish and improve industry evaluation standards in three key areas through practice, and formulate and improve operating procedures for China's talent evaluation, project evaluation, and industry evaluation.
3. Actively create conditions and at an appropriate time participate in preparing to establish the Shanghai Talent Training Industry Association, and build a talent training industry platform in China's 'Four Centers' metropolis.
III. Reform Internal Management and Assign Responsibility Directly to Position Holders
In fiscal year 2014, strengthen assessment of employees' position responsibilities, work objectives, and economic objectives, and adjust employee benefits. Change the previous egalitarian salary system to ensure responsibilities and compensation are properly matched. Assess existing workloads, refine workload details, distribute responsibility systems, ensure each task has a designated responsible person and traceable accountability. Change the current situation where everyone shares responsibility but no one is accountable, and truly balance responsibility, authority, and benefits.
(I) Reform the Personnel Mechanism
The the Center requires human resources to be young, professional, hard-working, and dedicated. Following the principle of fewer but better positions, existing positions urgently need to be redesigned with clear job responsibilities.
In fiscal year 2014, the Center will reform the current personnel system and pilot requiring all personnel to reapply for positions in accordance with the 'Fiscal Year 2014 Shanghai Talent Training Market Position Settings and Job Responsibilities'. Contract terms shall be one year (or six months for rehired retired or laid-off staff).
(II) Implement Economic Target Responsibility System or Position Performance Assessment System
In fiscal year 2014, management positions at the Center will uniformly pilot assessment under the economic target responsibility system and position performance assessment system.
(III) Select Qualified Institutions, Create Conditions, and Expand Market Services
In fiscal year 2014, the Center plans to select 1-2 institutions among excellent service acceptance offices in fiscal year 2013 for cooperation, actively develop market services for verification of various valid certificates, assist lawful certificate holders and employers in resolving issues related to verification of valid certificates and legacy issues of international academic credential recognition, and resolve valuable institutional evaluation issues.