BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- At an AI-focused training camp recently held by the Huawei ICT Academy at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT), over 70 students underwent three days of integrated training and hands-on practice on AI fundamentals, AI operator development and open-source large models.
This training camp was just one link in a joint talent-cultivation chain involving BUPT and Chinese tech giant Huawei, which has been deepening industry-education integration. Such initiatives provide students with opportunities to engage with cutting-edge technologies and gain hands-on experience via real-world projects, according to Gao Peng, deputy dean of the Ye Peida School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at BUPT.
"Through such training camps, BUPT and Huawei aim to cultivate engineering-oriented AI talents equipped with a solid theoretical foundation, practical skills and an innovative spirit, thereby injecting fresh momentum into the development of China's fast-growing AI industry," Gao said.
Such AI-talent cultivation efforts echo China's recent announcement of 11 new occupations and 23 new work types, reflecting how AI-driven economic and industrial development is increasingly steering education and employment in new directions.
NEW JOB HIGHLIGHTS
The latest new professions, released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and other government departments, reflect fresh trends and market demands driven by China's industrial transformation, and open up more career avenues for high-quality employment, industry insiders noted.
Among these new work opportunities, five jobs related to digital economy are highlights, including digital twin engineering technician, embodied intelligent robot application technician and industrial product digital modeler. They cover frontier areas such as AI applications, industrial digitalization and simulation modeling.
Three of them are "green occupations," namely microgrid administrator, hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing technician and water electrolysis hydrogen production operator. Notably, microgrid administrator is classified as both a green and a digital occupation.
These new jobs in the green-transformation sector are a reflection of the country's talent-demand on its quest for comprehensive green transformation in both the economy and social development.
Against the backdrop of China's evolving service industries, modern service occupations are also emerging as bright spots. There are positions serving enterprise development and industrial upgrading, like sports data analysts, airport airspace clearance inspectors, low-altitude logistics operators and AI agent developers. New jobs also respond to people's aspirations for a better life, including incense-making artisans and age-friendly renovation designers.
ECHOING INDUSTRIAL TRANSFORMATION
The emergence of new occupations mirrors the accelerated iteration of the country's industrial structures and expanding gaps for talents equipped with new skills in the job market, especially in sectors such as AI, embodied intelligent robots and modern services.
The added value of core digital economy industries accounted for more than 10.5 percent of China's GDP, with the core AI industry exceeding 1.2 trillion yuan (about 177.8 billion U.S. dollars) in scale, the Digital China Development Report (2025) released by the National Data Administration in April showed.
However, talent gaps continue to expand. An official from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said China is expected to face a sizable shortage of workers with digital skills for some time. McKinsey & Company also forecasts that China will require 6 million AI professionals by 2030, but could face a shortfall of 4 million.
Data from online recruitment platform Zhaopin revealed that in the second quarter of 2026, industries related to new quality productive forces, including robotics, new materials and AI, continued to serve as the main drivers of talent demand growth, sustaining positive momentum in China's job market.
Taking the AI sector as an example, job market competition for AI talents is shifting toward those with compound capabilities, which is driving the transformation of universities and companies in terms of talent cultivation models.
EXPLORING NEW CULTIVATION MODELS
The Ministry of Education recently released the 2026 undergraduate major catalog, which is aimed at better adaptation to the development of emerging interdisciplinary fields, thereby better meeting demand for cultivating versatile talents. Eleven existing majors, like future robots, and four new majors, including embodied intelligent robots, have been included in the category of interdisciplines in the catalog.
In April 2026, the Ministry of Education and four other departments issued an "AI + Education" action plan, proposing to "make AI a public fundamental course in colleges and universities, compile course textbooks by disciplines and majors, and ensure that all students acquire AI knowledge."
The action plan also promotes colleges and universities to optimize the talent-training programs of traditional disciplines and majors, while guiding them to offer interdisciplinary AI courses.
Universities, additionally, are partnering with enterprises to cultivate talent adapted to new business forms and industrial upgrading. The AI training camp co-hosted by BUPT and Huawei is a good case in point.
Via an integrated training model consisting of "courses, training, competitions and selection," Huawei will continue to support college students in mastering core skills like operator development, model tuning and performance testing, working hand in hand with universities to cultivate more talents with core AI technologies, said Wang Xin, deputy director of the China Industry Development and Ecosystem Department at Huawei.
KEEPING PACE WITH DEVELOPMENT
China has been dynamically updating its occupational classification catalog. Since 2019, the country has issued eight batches of 121 new occupations. Also, China has so far recognized 113 digital occupations and 142 green occupations.
Such moves are anticipated to help promote employment and entrepreneurship, offer workers more diverse career paths, and better match talent supply with job demand.
Li Chang'an, a researcher at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies under the University of International Business and Economics, said that it precisely aligns with ongoing industrial transformation and new trends in the labor market, holding important practical significance for optimizing the country's employment structures and improving the training system for occupational skills.
During the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) period, China aims to explore new employment space in the digital economy, green economy and silver economy.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said that, looking ahead, it will formulate national standards for the new occupations to guide vocational education, skills training and talent assessment.
The ministry is also committed to smoothing the pathways for talent growth and development, and speed up the cultivation of a workforce that is sufficient in number and optimally structured, providing strong talent support for high-quality economic and social development. ■
