Graduation season sees robust employment opportunities for graduates amid strong demand in both manufacturing and service sectors.

A few weeks ago, Guangdong Machinery Technician College held a job fair for its students, attracting over 152 companies offering more than 3,600 job positions. These opportunities spanned various industries, from intelligent manufacturing to automotive technology and early childhood education.

All class advisors for graduating students attended the event, offering detailed guidance.

Liu Juan, advisor for the school's computer numerical control (CNC) program, noted that each student in her class had already received an average of five job offers, with internships starting at a minimum monthly salary of 5,000 yuan, including free meals and accommodation.

Such scenes are common during the graduation season, with June and July being peak months for university graduates transitioning from campus to the workforce. Job fairs during this time serve as platforms for them to launch their careers.

According to the Human Resources and Social Security Department of Guangdong Province, there is a particularly strong demand for blue-collar workers.

At a job fair hosted by the Guangzhou Huangpu District Federation of Industry and Commerce, the job supply-to-demand ratio reached an impressive 6:1, indicating that for every job seeker, there were six job opportunities available.

In addition to offering over 100 traditional roles in fields like automation control, modern logistics, and graphic design, more than 20 new positions have been introduced, such as AI technology application engineers, data security engineers, and game trainers, providing students with more choices.

For manufacturing enterprises that focus on blue-collar workers, the expansion of technology in recent years has led to greater demand for skilled and high-quality talent. Many companies now proactively contact schools to engage in school-enterprise cooperation for recruitment.

The "Belt and Road Customized Training Program", launched jointly by Wuhan Huazhong Numerical Control Corporation in Central China's Hubei province and Shenyang Institute of Technology in Northeast China's Liaoning province, is a prime example of this kind of cooperation.

Since September 2023, 42 Chinese senior students have been selected for this class, receiving training in both professional skills and Russian. After graduation, these students will work at Huazhong Corporation and other related companies. These companies export a significant number of CNC systems and machine tools to countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, such as Russia and Belarus, where the graduates will work as CNC technicians, performing system debugging and after-sales maintenance.

The program includes over 600 hours of customized Russian courses, taught by more than five Russian teachers. The curriculum covers language, cultural etiquette, and local customs.

As of this writing, all the students in the class have secured their job placements, with companies eagerly recruiting them even before graduation.

Yan Liang, 22, from Qiqihar, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, is a student in this project. He said the program has made him a versatile talent with both language and technical skills, making him highly sought after in the industry.

Another student, Zhai Shengkai, from Dandong, Liaoning, shares similar feelings. "In our mechanical industry, finding a job is not difficult. I didn't feel any employment pressure or anxiety. Even before joining the customized class, I had already received offers from more than three companies," said the 23-year-old. "After the training, the prospects became even better. I now feel particularly competitive."

In March, the class also included students from Russia and Belarus to study CNC technology and Chinese. Rychkov Rodion, 20, is one of them. He comes from a town near Lake Baikal in Russia, where young people mainly work in the manufacturing and machine industry, coal exploration, and animal husbandry. He studied petroleum exploration at a university back home and joined the training program because he "really likes China and wants to experience Chinese culture firsthand".

"China and Russia have maintained a long-standing friendship. The history lessons I learned in middle school mentioned that China and Russia have supported each other through significant historical moments. The Belt and Road Initiative can enhance the economic development of participating countries and improve people's living standards," Rodion said.

He highlighted that the program's curriculum is particularly well-designed, aligning with the most advanced social needs, ensuring that the knowledge system matches real-world demands, and providing students with internship opportunities. "I feel very optimistic about my employment prospects," he said.

Service industry boom

In addition to the demand for talent in the manufacturing sector, the need for professionals in the service industry is also significant.

According to Shi Jingying, director of Internship and Career Development Center at the Beijing Hospitality Institute, the school's flagship program in hotel management offers around 2,600 job positions for approximately 800 graduates each year during its campus recruitment season.

About 35 percent of these graduates work in international high-end hotels and the tourism industry, 5 to 8 percent start their own businesses, and the majority of the rest enter broader service industries such as finance and luxury goods.

"The high job placement rate in relevant fields is a testament to the school's educational achievements. It shows that students are both capable and passionate about their chosen field, and it also reflects the strong desire for skilled professionals in China's hospitality industry," Shi said.

According to her, in recent years, with the rise of cultural and tourism trends across the country, many graduates have ventured into this sector. "This year, at least three graduates of the institute have started their own bed-and-breakfast businesses," she said.

The strong employment outcomes are attributed to the close alignment of the school's curriculum with industry needs. Chen Xiwen, a graduate from Xiangtan in Central China's Hunan province, secured a position as the secretary to the food and beverage director at a five-star hotel in Hangzhou six months before her graduation, assisting in the management of five restaurants. "The job required three years of work experience, and I landed it right after graduating. Quite impressive, isn't it?" she said proudly.

Chen attributes her success to the in-depth internship experiences she had during her studies. According to her, the school operates a four-star teaching hotel where students undergo a 16-week practical course, gaining firsthand experience in various roles ranging from reception to management positions, and from housekeeping to culinary service.

In addition to this, the school organizes two six-month industry internships, providing students with early exposure to working in high-end hotels and enabling them to start strong upon graduation.

Shi pointed out that guiding graduates' career paths is a core responsibility and educational philosophy for schools offering vocational education.

For students and their families, many of whom have spent years focusing on academic scores throughout primary and secondary education, career planning can sometimes be overlooked.

"I believe the greatest advantage of vocational education is that it provides a clear vision for students to see their future development," Shi said. "Students may be uncertain when they first enroll, but as they progress, they often discover a bright path ahead."