A job seeker talks with a counselor from Xunzhiji, a job consultancy. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Two-way street

"It's a two-way street between the students and the companies. The program gives the students a good opportunity to broaden their viewpoint and improve their abilities, and is also a talent pool for the development of the province," she said.

The Furniture Industry Association in Zhejiang's Ningbo city has taken the lead in promoting close cooperation between companies and colleges to launch various joint education programs aimed at producing skilled students and boosting their employment rate.

"Since 2018, we have collaborated with the Zhejiang Business Technology Institute and organized six 'order-based' classes so far. Order-based means we tell the school what kind of student we'd like to hire in line with companies' needs," said Zhang Liangwu, the association's executive chairman. He is also president of Baihe Shenghua Construction Tech, a company headquartered in the city, whose business includes building decorations, home design and smart energy projects.

"We devise the curriculum and training program with the school and send our highly skilled workers and engineers to give lectures to students involved in the order-based classes. In their third year, the students complete all their theoretical studies at school before receiving on-site education and training at our offices and factories. After that, they graduate," he added.

According to Zhang Liangwu, Baihe Shenghua and the school have jointly trained more than 120 students since 2018, and about 50 of them have accepted full-time jobs at the company after graduation.

Chai Shan, the association's deputy secretary-general, said industry associations and social organizations usually have a more holistic view of the industry's operations, which helps them better know what kind of talented individuals and job seekers the companies or societies really need.

"The associations can also help students and job seekers to screen job openings to make sure that the vacancies are being offered by companies or societies that are operating legally, thus protecting the job seekers from 'traps'," he said.

Contact the writer at chengsi@chinadaily.com.cn