College students have difficulties finding internships while businesses have difficulties finding suitable interns, which has long been an issue for both employers and universities.
To address the core of the issue, Yangpu District government integrated previous experience and modern internet technologies to release the first internship opportunities map at the kick-off ceremony of summer pre-internship training for college students on Jul. 10.
As one of the innovative initiatives to facilitate college interns in 2017, the Yangpu District government released both online and offline versions of internship opportunities map. With the seamless, comprehensive and open service platform bridging companies and college students, companies could release internship info, while students could search and apply for positions. The offline version is hand-drawn, intuitive and trendy, which is a perfect vehicle for information and publicity. The hand-drawn map marks internship opportunities and contacts from non-profits, businesses and communities with different markers to make them intuitive at a glance.
The map is updated synchronically at the official WeChat account “Yangpu Talent” and Yangpuhr.com. Users could access internship opportunities in the whole districts after click on the map, which will display the address, details and contacts once they click on a specific spot on the map. College users could find their destinations with the map’s GPS guidance.
As early as 2007, Yangpu District has initiated the first college student internship program in Shanghai, according to reporters. The program provides a beneficial platform for all sides. In this way, students could accumulate work experience and improve their competitiveness, businesses could get suitable interns and the District could attract a large number of outstanding graduates. In past 11 years, the district held 23 internship and recruitment events, offering 28,318 intern positions. 2,617 interns, or about 10% of the total, have got offers for full-time positions. As of now, 42 companies, including Siemens, Continental Automotive and other well-known foreign and domestic companies, as well as around 100 nonprofits have joined the internship program.
This year, the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau (HRSSB) of Yangpu District have offered 3,000 intern positions, 100 of which are in governmental agencies or nonprofits, 100 in community party-building services centers, 2,800 in businesses. The number of positions increased considerably compared with last year, and while the newly-increased community positions are highlights of this year. “Community intern positions in 12 towns under Yangpu District enable students to work in community and understand the public better, which will be beneficial for their future career,” said the head of district-level HRSSB.
The above 3,000 intern positions are not exclusive to college students in Yangpu district but open to those across the country. Starting from March, Yangpu District government has visited 10 universities, including Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University and Shanghai Jiaotong University, to introduce the district’s internship program for 2017and hold summer internship recruitment events in some universities, which have been well-received. By mid-June, around 250 students have applied for positions in governmental agencies, nonprofits and communities. After interviewed and confirmed, over 170 college students have got one-month (starting on Jul.11) intern positions in above organizations.
Wu Xiunan, one of the above 170 students, is from Vietnam and in the first year of his master degree of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (MTCSOL) in Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE). He has been working at the reception of the district employment promotion center from Jul. 11. “I could communicate with more people and improve my Mandarin by working at the reception, which is a great experience because I’ve never worked in governmental agencies before,” said Wu.
“Available intern positions this year are multi-leveled and diversified, and participants are from universities across the country, including locals from Yangpu district, students from Tsinghua University and Peking University, and foreign students in China. The number of applicants for intern positions in governmental agencies and communities hit record high this year. Those are all delighting progresses,” added the head of district-level HRSSB. “For next steps, the District will develop the internship program into a unique brand, deliver breakthroughs, and invigorate development of talent by leveraging efforts for ‘innovation and entrepreneurship’, tapping resources of universities and seeking deeper partnership with regional universities.”
