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Day after day of on-site honing has propelled Guangdong Petrochemical's "skilled elite" team from the production line to national competitions.
At 10:00 AM on January 15th, inside the catalytic cracking unit at Guangdong Petrochemical, shift leader Chen Zhikun explained vibration monitoring points to operator Yan Kuan beside the main blower, demonstrating operational techniques. Simultaneously, in the 200,000-ton/year polypropylene unit, young operator Liu Shengbiao closely followed his mentor Lu Hongjun, attentively recording the equipment's sound characteristics and the experience his mentor imparted.
Since 2025, the number of Guangdong Petrochemical's external competitions has steadily increased, resulting in numerous awards, including a gold medal in the "Youth Innovation" China Youth Carbon Neutrality Innovation Competition, a gold medal in the Group's Polyolefin Operator Competition, and a first prize in the Bidding Business Competition.
"I joined Guangdong Petrochemical Company after graduating from university in 2022, and have gradually grown over the past three years. Winning the gold medal in the 2025 National Industry Vocational Skills Competition for Polypropylene Unit Operators is inseparable from the company's systematic training path," said Liu Shengbiao, a polypropylene unit operator, summarizing his career trajectory.
In recent years, Guangdong Petrochemical has adhered to a systematic training philosophy, building a digital, full-cycle talent development support system through top-level system design and innovative assessment models.
At the system construction level, the company has revised and improved core systems such as the "Education and Training Management Measures," and implemented supporting programs such as the "Sailing Project," a three-year training plan for new employees, and a special cultivation project for young talents, establishing a three-level linkage supervision mechanism of "monthly inspection—quarterly evaluation—annual assessment."
Zhao Jianshuang, Deputy Director of the Human Resources Department of Guangdong Petrochemical, introduced that the company promotes the "135" new knowledge transformation and application mechanism in key training courses, namely, sharing and proposing innovative measures within one month after training, implementing and evaluating the effects within three months, and providing feedback on the initial results of the measures within five months. Learning and sharing can take the form of thematic discussions, training exchanges, and internal meetings. In addition, Guangdong Petrochemical has introduced digital assessment methods, conducting in-depth online training, computer-based exams, online quizzes, and simulation training. In 2025, 48 new electronic question banks were added, and 595 online exams of various types, including monthly exams and professional assessments, were conducted.
Guangdong Petrochemical has also introduced digital tools such as online examination systems, AI intelligent tutoring platforms, and 3D simulation training systems to achieve full online management of the training process and full traceability of learning data, improving overall training efficiency by over 90%.
Wang Kai, Deputy Manager of the Second Chemical Department of Guangdong Petrochemical, explained that they always adhere to the principle of individualized instruction. After new employees complete the company's unified basic training, they receive specialized training based on their respective majors and personal characteristics. Specialized engineers from each unit tailor curriculum systems for young employees, enhancing the relevance and effectiveness of the training.
"In terms of mentorship, we fully implement a dual-mentor system, with department leaders serving as career development mentors for new employees to guide their growth; at the same time, we select experienced and highly skilled senior engineers or chief technicians within the plant to serve as their professional skills mentors, systematically strengthening employees' professional foundation," said Wang Kai.
While systems "accumulate" talent, competitions "forge" them for real-world experience. Guangdong Petrochemical adheres to the principle of "training through competition," regarding competitions at all levels as a "special forces training ground" for honing a team capable of "rapid response, professional expertise, and winning battles," thus promoting the rapid growth of talent through competition.
In 2025, Lei Chonghui, an operator of the delayed coking unit, and his team won the gold medal in the 3rd "Youth Innovation" China Youth Carbon Neutrality Innovation Competition National Finals. "The competition tests not only professional skills but also systemic thinking and teamwork," said Lei Chonghui. Following this, the Guangdong Petrochemical team won first prize in the 4th China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Technical Skills Competition and the Group's First Bidding Business Skills Competition.
Currently, the 4th Guangdong Petrochemical Skills Competition is in full swing. The competition, guided by a focus on practical application and on-site execution, included intensive on-the-job training and emergency drills. The exam questions covered 13 specialties, focusing on real-world production content such as process interlocks, accident case analysis, and start-up and shutdown procedures.
Meanwhile, standardization efforts are progressing steadily. In early December 2025, the "Fluid Loading and Unloading Operation Vocational Skill Level Assessment Question Bank," compiled by the Terminal Operations Department of Guangdong Petrochemical Company, passed the review of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), filling a gap in the group's skills assessment in this field.
Tong Guangying, Deputy Manager in charge of training at the Terminal Operations Department of Guangdong Petrochemical Company, who was responsible for compiling the question bank, explained that the development took six months, bringing together professional expertise from process, safety, and equipment departments. Through eight thematic discussions and twelve rounds of cross-reviews, nearly 5,000 theoretical and practical questions covering five skill levels were ultimately formed. The practical questions innovatively designed a full-process module of "preparation-operation-evaluation," highly replicating on-site operation scenarios and providing a scientific and standardized basis for the training of skilled personnel.
In 2025, the "special operations" teams were a common sight on the front lines of Guangdong Petrochemical.
Ye Rudong, an operator in the styrene unit of Chemical Engineering Department I, calmly responded to a colleague's request for help regarding "tower temperature fluctuations": "First, check the steam curve, then check the feed composition." As a gold medalist in the company's skills competition, he applied the emergency response methods learned in the competition to the field. When solving problems, he always said, "There's always a solution," becoming a pillar of support for his colleagues.
Wang Zhanfeng, a process engineer in the atmospheric and vacuum distillation unit and also a gold medalist in the company's skills competition, led his team to improve efficiency through technology. They successfully implemented an advanced control system, reducing key parameter fluctuations by more than 30%, increasing product yield, and continuously reducing energy consumption. He often says, "You must understand the principles behind the parameters." Through a training model of "theory + practice + simulation," he cultivated a group of technical backbones who have repeatedly achieved excellent results in the group company's competitions.
Teamwork further enhances the role of the talent pool. Faced with the challenge of declining conversion rates in the catalytic distillation tower of the methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) unit, personnel from process, equipment, and safety departments collaborated to efficiently complete the design and installation of temporary pipelines, clearing production bottlenecks and maintaining a 100% product qualification rate. The polypropylene unit team continued to make breakthroughs in new product development, successfully trial-producing high-end thin-walled injection molding grades, and completed the development of 12 new products by 2025.
Currently, Guangdong Petrochemical's C4 unit has reduced energy consumption by 8.42%; the sulfur recovery unit's products are 100% qualified; and ethylene production is increasing year by year… From building a robust talent pool and honing skills through rigorous training to practical application, Guangdong Petrochemical has not only enriched its talent pool through systematic and practical talent development but has also ensured a more stable pace of development.
Talent is the most valuable asset for an enterprise's development. How to enrich the enterprise's talent pool is a question that managers at all levels need to consider deeply.
Guangdong Petrochemical has established and implemented training programs for frontline employees. Through systematic training, customized guidance, frontline mentorship, and on-the-job experience, it promotes batches of practically skilled employees who have grown on the front lines to various large-scale competitions. Afterwards, they apply their practical experience to their actual work, gradually becoming experts in their positions. This not only achieves the goal of "promoting training through competition and improving skills through training," but also forms a positive closed loop in talent development.
The front line is the broadest stage for talent cultivation. Enterprise managers need to think more and summarize how to more effectively help more outstanding employees stand out. It is also hoped that employees can make good use of this stage for growth and development, observe more, practice more, and think more in their actual work to increase their talents, improve their skills, and achieve a win-win situation for personal improvement and enterprise development.
