Three "New" Perspectives on Employment: A Bright Future Together (Campus Observation @ College Students)
Source: People's Daily Author: Published: 2026-06-14 21:02
Employment is the foundation of people's livelihood and the bedrock of development; the employment of college graduates is a top priority in employment work.
Innovation in training methods makes talent supply more precise; upgrades in service models make supply-demand matching more efficient; changes in employment concepts give youth choices more value... When the education chain, talent chain, and industry chain are deeply integrated, and when personal ideals align with national needs, high-quality and full employment has a solid foundation.
In recent years, what new trends and changes have emerged in the employment of college graduates? In this issue of the Education section, we visit some local areas and universities to record the vivid picture of contemporary college students' employment.
— Editor
New Training Methods
"Small Credits" Leverage "Big Growth"
By People's Daily reporter Li Jiading
At the Bohai Bay, a ultra-large container ship set sail with a whistle. Post-00s crew member Guo Chenyu stared at the central control screen, meticulously recording various parameters and reporting the ship's operating status to the captain in real time. Less than a year after "boarding the ship," Guo Chenyu has mastered the operation of the ship's automatic navigation system and intelligent monitoring system.
"Being able to quickly get into work mode is inseparable from the micro-major training." Guo Chenyu is a 2025 graduate of Tianjin University of Technology's Navigation Technology major. During his studies, he enrolled in the "Smart Navigation and Intelligent Ship" micro-major course, passed the assessment, and successfully completed it.
Facing complex system interfaces, Guo Chenyu can not only proficiently perform basic operations such as automatic route planning and equipment status monitoring but also quickly determine the root cause of system failures based on the construction principles learned in the course.
"Traditional courses focus on human operation on the ship, while the micro-major revolves around intelligent navigation, with course content directly aligned with frontline research progress," said Cui Jianhui, Vice Dean of the Maritime College of Tianjin University of Technology.
"The micro-major courses enriched my knowledge structure and helped me bridge academic study and employment." In the view of Zhang Tianyi, a 2026 graduate of the Navigation Technology major, the micro-major places greater emphasis on the deep integration of theory and practice. In professional scenarios, knowledge of intelligent monitoring, energy conservation, and emission reduction helps him quickly adapt to the working mode of modern ships.
Because he had prior specific knowledge of smart shipping, Zhang Tianyi demonstrated many advantages during the job-seeking season. He has now joined Sinopec Shanghai Offshore Petroleum Bureau Co., Ltd. and is about to start his career.
In recent years, driven by new technology waves such as the Internet of Things and big data, smart ships and smart shipping have become the forefront of the global shipbuilding and shipping industries. Maritime education urgently needs to expand in the direction of intelligence.
"Compared with establishing formal majors, micro-majors can be quickly established and course content flexibly updated, allowing them to respond more promptly to industry technology changes," Cui Jianhui introduced. In March 2023, the Maritime College of Tianjin University of Technology formed a cross-school-enterprise micro-major team with China Shipbuilding 707 Research Institute to formally build the "Smart Navigation and Intelligent Ship" micro-major, with a study period of no more than two academic years. The two sides promoted the construction of a four-dimensional industry-education integration mechanism of "course reconstruction—faculty strengthening—school-enterprise collaboration—evaluation innovation," with enterprise experts participating in teaching and jointly building practice scenarios. Currently, the micro-major has completed two runs, and the third is underway. It will be formally incorporated into the undergraduate training plan for navigation majors in September 2026.
School-enterprise collaboration has gradually shown results in talent training: among the 2025 graduates, more than half of the students in the "Smart Navigation and Intelligent Ship" micro-major entered Fortune Global 500 shipping companies and key units for employment; among the 2026 graduates, 67 students enrolled in the micro-major, and as of now, 10 have entered Fortune Global 500 shipping companies and key industry units, while 14 students have gone to well-known domestic and foreign universities for further study.
Looking to the future, Cui Jianhui said that the micro-major will further add professional courses, strengthen on-site teaching, and export experiences to other domestic maritime colleges. Currently, Tianjin University of Technology has established 24 micro-majors, covering digital technology, engineering manufacturing, economic management, humanities and social sciences, and other fields.
(Yang Xuewei contributed to this article)
New Service Models
From "People Looking for Jobs" to "People-Job Smart Matching"
By People's Daily reporter Li Rui
A swipe of the ID card and you can receive an interview invitation? In early June, at the “12333” Employment Comprehensive Service Hall in Jinxiang County, Jining, Shandong, Liu Weiheng, a graduate of Shandong University of Technology, truly experienced this surprise—
Under the guidance of staff, Liu Weiheng placed his ID card on the sensing area of the intelligent employment terminal. The system quickly analyzed his academic, internship, and skill information, generated a three-dimensional job-seeking portrait, and AI pushed multiple highly matching positions to Liu Weiheng.
"Previously, the resumes I submitted online mostly went unanswered. I never expected the intelligent employment terminal to be so efficient. It can not only generate, optimize, and submit resumes with one click but also features online career guidance, AI mock interviews, and more. With a few clicks, most of the job preparation work is done," Liu Weiheng said.
How to promote high-quality and full employment through digital empowerment? In 2025, the Shandong Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, along with three other departments, jointly issued a notice to pilot the construction of a batch of "Digital Intelligence Employment" service areas nationwide, striving to build a deeply integrated online and offline digital intelligence employment public service system within three years.
Jinxiang County, by upgrading and transforming the "Jinzhi Hui" platform, has built a comprehensive "AI + Employment" service system, becoming one of the pilot areas for digital intelligence employment construction in the province.
"The 'Jinzhi Hui' platform uses AI algorithms to conduct multi-dimensional analysis of job seekers' educational backgrounds, professional skills, job intentions, and other information, automatically generating a three-dimensional talent portrait and accurately matching it with the job requirement database," said Xiao Zhen, Deputy Director of the Jinxiang County Human Resources and Social Security Bureau. The platform has integrated 11 core functions, including AI resume optimization and career assessment, and also aggregates 12 types of service resources such as employment policy libraries, skills training, and employment assistance.
As of now, the platform has served more than 7,600 college graduates and accurately pushed over 12,000 job positions.
Not only at the grassroots level of employment services, but the employment guidance services in colleges are also undergoing a digital intelligence transformation.
Stepping into the College Student Employment and Entrepreneurship Empowerment Center of Jining University, several AI interview booths are neatly arranged. "The system has built-in multiple question banks and interview scenarios, supports AI interview scoring, and automatically generates scoring reports from six dimensions, including language expression, logical thinking, and professional matching, to help students improve their job application capabilities," said Zhang Jing, Director of the Student Affairs Office at Jining University.
"Last week, I used the AI interview booth for three corporate interview simulations. The system pointed out that my answering speed was too fast and my logical hierarchy was unclear. After practicing repeatedly with AI, I felt much more composed in yesterday's interview," said Zhang Kairui, a graduate of Jining University.
"Shandong takes 30 ‘Digital Intelligence Employment’ service areas as a starting point, promotes digital intelligence employment service models, carries out grassroots activities of digital intelligence employment experts, and accelerates the innovative application of big data and AI in the employment field. It has built 45 ‘AI + Employment’ application scenarios, serving more than 2 million job-seekers cumulatively. Currently, digital intelligence employment construction has been included in Shandong Province's ‘15th Five-Year Plan’ outline," said Yi Junqiang, Party Leadership Group Member and Deputy Director of the Shandong Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security.
(Yi Peng contributed to this article)
New Employment Concepts
Carrying "Passion" to the Frontline of the Industry
By People's Daily reporter Wu Jun
Not long ago, after three rounds of interviews, Mo Qilong, a 2026 graduate of the College of Fisheries at Huazhong Agricultural University, was accepted by a biotechnology company in Guangdong and is about to become an aquatic feed formulator.
Before deciding on this job, Mo Qilong gave up a high-paying position at a state-owned enterprise in Guangzhou. "That job had a more comfortable and stable environment and much less pressure," Mo Qilong said.
Stability vs. challenge, reality vs. passion... What matters most on the job-seeking path? Mo Qilong has his own answer:
"I want to use what I have learned to conduct research that truly meets the needs of the industry. Currently, China's aquaculture industry has a solid foundation, advantages, and huge potential. I hope to go to the frontline to hone my skills and contribute to the modernization of agriculture."
From undergraduate to master's, Mo Qilong has studied and researched aquaculture-related majors for a full seven years and has a genuine passion for fish research. "Only by liking something can you persist, and your future career path can be steady and far-reaching."
Years of frontline practice experience further strengthened his choice. As an undergraduate, he already interned at breeding bases; after starting his master's, he often followed his advisor to conduct research in various places. "I have seen with my own eyes that farmers increase production and income through good technology and good products, and I have truly felt the urgent need for professional talents in the transformation and upgrading of the aquaculture industry." He has a long-term view of his choice: "To achieve green, intelligent, and high-yield development in the aquaculture industry, young people need to immerse themselves in the fields and ponds and deeply cultivate the frontline of the industry."
The establishment of a scientific and rational employment concept is inseparable from the school's careful guidance. According to reports, Huazhong Agricultural University extensively conducts activities such as "Rural Revitalization Lecture Hall" and "Grassroots Employment Typical Report Meetings," continuously cultivating young students' value pursuit of "advancing with the motherland and dedicating to the people." Every job-seeking season, the school invites outstanding alumni back to share their personal experiences of starting businesses, building a bridge between students and the frontline of the industry, and guiding students to integrate personal development into industrial development and national needs.
"The college often pushes corporate recruitment information related to our majors, provides precise job recommendations for students with different employment intentions, and helps us better align with the talent needs of frontline industries," Mo Qilong said.
At Huazhong Agricultural University, there are many graduates who choose to devote themselves to the frontline of the industry. "While focusing on students' professional learning, we always guide students to establish correct employment and career concepts, combining their interests and professional strengths to make career plans from a longer-term perspective, and achieve greater life value in the process of serving economic and social development," said Xiong Xiaolei, the postgraduate counselor at the College of Fisheries.
Editor: Shu Mengqing
