Xinhua is the official Chenese News Agency

LHASA (Jan. 24) XINHUA - With their increased vocational skills, Tibetans now stand a better chance of getting a job.

In 1996, at least 15,000 people in the Tibet Autonomous Region attended vocational training courses, including classes on cooking, general office duties, and procedures followed by those working in state firms.

Vocational training centers are widespread in the region, according to the regional government, which has adopted a series of special measures, such as tax-free policies in certain fields, to encourage the opening of such schools.

Tibet, traditionally a backward mountainous region, now faces the challenges of modernization. Power plants and other factories have been established in the region, which have benefitted the new generations of the ethnic minority Tibetan groups.

Farmers and herdsmen, some of them illiterate, are being urged by the government to learn about modern industry and technology.

Sources with the regional government revealed that in some regions, vocational schools have vowed to teach any work skill the students lack.

Some officials suggested that, in the long run, every Tibetan will not only become literate, but also have some knowledge of technology.