China’s first batch of ‘crayfish’ students gets jobs ahead of graduation

Source: Global Times/People’s Daily

The first batch of students majoring in crayfish studies at a vocational college have secured employment before their graduation, Gong Dingrong, deputy of the National People’s Congress and mayor of Qianjiang, Central China’s Hubei Province, told the Beijing Youth Daily on March 10 after reading the 2019 Government Work Report.

The Government Work Report said the country should focus on modern vocational education, which will help to boost employment and solve the shortage of high-skilled talents. One million students will be recruited to vocational colleges this year.

The two-year crayfish studies major was established in 2017, offering three courses of crayfish marketing, cooking and restaurant management.

All the 130 students studying the major have been “ordered,” said Gong, adding that the “crayfish school” is a result of the development of related industries.

“No students from crayfish school can be unemployed,” said Gong. The school will expand its admissions scale and more majors will be set up.

Gong said that according to incomplete statistics, a total of 130,000 to 150,000 people are employed in crayfish-related industries in Qianjiang, which makes up half of the city’s jobs.

In addition to academic education, the school has provided short-term training for more than 6,000 people.

These people can enjoy an annual salary as high as 120,000 yuan ($18,000), and chefs with three years of working experience are paid 30,000 to 50,000 yuan monthly.

According to a report released by the China Society of Fisheries, China produced 1.12 million tons of crayfish in 2017, creating a gross output worth 268.5 billion yuan.