news

zhu zeping, commentator of chao news client

image source: visual china

this year, the first batch of undergraduate students majoring in elderly care graduated and were "snatched up" by many elderly care institutions, which attracted widespread attention. according to reports, during this year's graduation season, at a job fair held by shandong women's college, 35 elderly care institutions and enterprises provided more than 400 jobs such as elderly care housekeepers and social workers for the school's 64 undergraduate graduates in elderly care service management. coincidentally, at the special job internship recruitment fair for elderly care service management held by shanghai university of engineering science, there was also a phenomenon of multiple positions competing for one graduate.

many people were surprised that the graduates of nursing majors were so popular, which also made people take a new look at the nursing industry. behind this is the urgent need for high-quality and professional talents in the nursing industry, which also shows young people the broad development prospects of the nursing industry.

the demand for elderly care talents is becoming increasingly prominent. according to data recently released by the ministry of civil affairs, by the end of 2023, the number of people aged 60 and above in china will be close to 300 million, and my country has officially entered a "moderately aging" society. relevant research shows that my country's demand for elderly care workers is more than 6 million, but there are only more than 500,000 practitioners at present. at the same time, current elderly care practitioners generally have problems such as low academic qualifications and low professional level, which can no longer meet the increasingly diversified market demand. there is a huge talent gap in both quantity and quality.

in order to fill the gap in professional talents in elderly care, in october 2019, the ministry of education and seven other departments jointly issued a document to encourage and guide ordinary undergraduate colleges to set up elderly care-related majors such as home economics and geriatrics. in 2020, shandong women's college and shanghai university of engineering science became the first undergraduate colleges in the country to set up elderly care-related majors and recruit students that year. at present, there are more than 30 undergraduate colleges with majors such as elderly care services and management. this year, the first batch of graduates "smoothly" found employment, which can also be said to be a positive feedback on the results of higher education reform, which is encouraging.

graduates of nursing majors are favored because these universities adhere to a down-to-earth training model and achieve close connection with market demand through school-enterprise cooperation, industry-education integration and other teaching methods. for example, shandong women's college has established cooperative relationships with many nursing companies to provide students with internship opportunities and enhance their practical experience. students from shanghai university of engineering science have been interning in nursing institutions since their freshman year, starting with basic nursing positions and gradually transitioning to operational management positions. solid theoretical knowledge and strong practical ability allow graduates to achieve a seamless transition from campus to work.

the popularity of graduates majoring in elderly care gives us many insights.

first of all, education should keep up with social needs, and the core is to cultivate professionals who can adapt to the development of the times. university education must be keen to capture industry trends, accurately grasp the direction of talent training, timely optimize professional layout, and strengthen the construction of characteristic majors, so as to continuously produce professionals who meet market needs and pave a bright career path for students. at the same time, it should be noted that setting up an emerging discipline is like "crossing the river by feeling the stones". for example, the relevant nursing majors currently offered by universities still face many difficulties in discipline construction, such as curriculum setting and teacher shortage, and urgently need to be explored and improved.

secondly, we should establish a career choice that keeps pace with the times. in the traditional employment concept, many people tend to choose more "stable" or "decent" careers. but in fact, with the development of society and the advancement of technology, the elderly care industry, which was once considered to be "serving people", has transformed into a vibrant emerging field. it integrates knowledge from multiple disciplines such as management, sociology, communication and psychology, and requires full professionalism and technical content. in terms of employment direction, it has many independent choices such as event planning, project development, and operation and promotion. therefore, it is time to take off the "colored glasses" and re-examine this "sunrise industry" to see the infinite possibilities contained in it.

filling the talent gap in the elderly care industry is not something that can be done overnight. with the continuous strengthening of national policies, changes in social cognition, and the improvement of salaries and benefits, more and more "young elderly care workers" will enter the elderly care industry with vigor and vitality, singing the song of youth and guarding the most beautiful sunset with more professional and lasting strength.

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