It's the graduation season in China's Xinjiang region and for most students, entering China's competitive job market has become even more challenging due to the pandemic. Zheng Songwu visited Xinjiang Normal University to find out more.
NURYLA ANAPUYA Graduate, Xinjiang Normal University I want to be a teacher. I once attended a job fair, but couldn't find a job. I cried because I was disappointed and I realized there was still a lot for me to do despite my hard work. And then it got even worse when COVID-19 happened. I was worried about my employment after graduation.
Nuryla, a Kazak student from the school of educational science, was one of some 6,000 graduates of Xinjiang Normal University this year. The number of China's new graduates in 2022 is expected to surpass ten million and finding a job is getting even more challenging because of the pandemic.
Ablat Wayit is one of the teachers who gives graduates career advice. Most of his students are Uygur, Hui, and Mongolian.
ABLAT WAYIT Professor, Xinjiang Normal University Some students are disheartened when they fail in a job fair. I always comfort them and tell them that there are good jobs as long as we keep looking. I also tell them to lower their expectations during the pandemic and do their best in their job because they might end up being really good at it. And if they are not good at it, then they can look for other opportunities or continue their studies.
Professor Ablat says there are also career guidance courses for freshmen to help them know themselves and their job opportunities better. And then, in their senior year, they can take part in job fairs.
ZHENG SONGWU Urumqi, Xinjiang I'm at a job fair, hosted by Xinjiang Normal University. 19 enterprises today from Xinjiang including schools, banks, and telecommunication companies are here offering jobs for the students. It's at least the twentieth job fair that the university has held since February.
Xinjiang announced a policy in March urging the region's enterprises and job centers at universities to work together to help some 120,000 graduates find jobs.
TURSUN DAWUT Deputy Director Career Center of Xinjiang Normal University We have been helping graduates find jobs since August 2021, and have hosted job fairs, both online and on-campus, depending on the COVID situation.
Xinjiang Normal University has also worked with different companies to provide long-term internship opportunities for students even before graduation. Nuryla has had three job options and says although she has not yet decided which one to choose, she is confident and hopeful about the future. Zheng Songwu, CGTN, Xinjiang.
From:CGTN
