A Chinese university is selling its graduates online
In the same week as HESA published the details of the most recent survey of first destinations of UK university graduates of 2014, a Chinese university has adopted a rather distinctive approach to promoting its graduates.
Kunming University has taken the rather unusual measure of putting some of its graduates up “for sale” online:
Graduates for sale
The ‘Kunming University Talent Shop’ was launched on Alibaba’s retail platform Taobao on Thursday by He Hua, president of Kunming University, according to the People’s Daily Online.
The site profiles 65 of the university’s top graduates with a photograph and a brief summary of their career ambitions and preferred salaries.
The students are divided into four categories, the news report said: ‘One Belt One Road style,’ ‘Made in China 2025 style,’ ‘internet style’ and ‘elite style,’ a reference to Beijing’s flagship economic growth policies to promote Chinese infrastructure investment and manufacturing power.
Prospective employers can then bid for the right to offer each student a job contract. Bidding fees start from 1,000 yuan ($160), payable to the site and the money is returned a week later regardless of a job offer, the People’s Daily added.
Mr. He unveiled his venture at Kunming’s graduation ceremony on Thursday with a life-size board of the student profiles.
The talent shop, reportedly the first of its kind on Taobao, is designed to help students “deal with the harsh employment conditions this year,” the university president said.“I want to use Taobao to build a bridge between companies and students,” he continued, adding that the site was just one of many new ideas he has for the university.
Graduate unemployment is an issue in China and this is certainly a bold step.
How long can it be before a UK university opens its own Talent Shop?
“The students are divided into four categories, the news report said: ‘One Belt One Road style,’ ‘Made in China 2025 style,’ ‘internet style’ and ‘elite style,’ a reference to Beijing’s flagship economic growth policies to promote Chinese infrastructure investment and manufacturing power.”
Guess in the UK we’d have ‘Northern Powerhouse Style’