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University graduates talk with recruiters at a national-level joint recruitment event in Urumqi, Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on March 2, 2025. A total of 517 enterprises and institutions from within and outside the region offered 13,500 job positions, covering fields such as manufacturing, chemical engineering, finance and internet technology. Photo: VCG
China is promoting university-enterprise collaboration on employment and education projects in “artificial intelligence (AI) application,” China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Education recently released a notice, calling for universities and local authorities throughout China to collect a range of AI application projects from businesses, organizations and industry groups.
This initiative aims to help universities align with evolving talent demands and employment services driven by the rapid growth of the AI sector. It also seeks to assist employers in cultivating and recruiting more practical, interdisciplinary and high-demand AI professionals, thereby improving the alignment between industry needs and university talent supply, CCTV reported.
The collected projects focus on three key areas: targeted talent training, employment internship bases, and workforce development through university-enterprise collaboration. Emphasis will be placed on talent needs in fields such as AI algorithms, machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, intelligent robotics and the use of AI tools.
These projects are expected to help enhance college students’ understanding of AI-related careers, improve their practical skills and employability, and help employers identify talent, upgrade technology and foster innovation.
This move also aligns with the major task in 2025 outlined in this year’s Government Work Report, which calls for “make integrated progress in education, scientific and technological innovation and talent cultivation, so as to consolidate the foundational and strategic underpinning for Chinese modernization.”
As large language model like DeepSeek and intelligent connected vehicles steal the spotlight, China’s push to digitize traditional industries has reached a pivotal stage, with applications rolling out fast across sectors and driving a surge in talent demand, Cong Yi, a professor at the Tianjin School of Administration, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
“Lots of traditional companies pushing for digital upgrades are running into talent shortages and are looking for ways to connect with skilled workers. The MOE’s latest initiative is well-timed to address urgent need,” Cong noted.
Employers can register and submit project proposals on the MOE’s employment and education collaboration platform by the end of April, according to the notice. The ministry will then promote these projects and facilitate connections between universities and enterprises to kickstart collaborative initiatives as soon as possible.
Since its launch in 2021, the MOE’s employment and education collaboration project has linked over 2,400 employers with more than 2,000 universities, benefiting over 6.2 million students through joint talent training programs.
Cong highlighted universities’ ongoing efforts to meet the market needs. Since 2019, some leading universities in China have doubled down on “new engineering” and “new science” disciplines by gradually tweaking their curricula to produce more graduates ready to thrive in the digital age, he said.
“This strong alignment between talent pipelines and industry needs is set to accelerate China’s digital transformation and technological innovation while injecting fresh momentum into the job market,” Cong added.
Chinese major universities are also stepping up efforts to cultivate talent in emerging industries and high-tech fields. A range of top universities, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Wuhan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, recently announced plans to expand enrollment.
These new enrollment spots will focus on areas of national strategic importance, foundational disciplines, and emerging frontiers, with a focus on interdisciplinary AI talent to support national strategic needs and social development.
For example, Shanghai Jiao Tong University will add 150 undergraduate admission spots in 2025, expanding enrollment in disciplines such as artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, biomedicine, healthcare and new energy.
China Agricultural University will add 500 undergraduate seats in 2025, prioritizing key areas such as food security, bio-manufacturing, AI and equipment manufacturing, green energy, and food safety and human health.