Beijing has pledged to expand vocational training for young jobseekers this year, as it looks to help millions of unemployed graduates find work in emerging industries such as robotics and AI.

But the policy drive – which includes plans to encourage university graduates to return to technical school – has drawn mixed reactions from a generation already hit hard by China’s youth unemployment crunch.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security vowed on Tuesday to upskill 1 million young people, focusing on areas such as artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, the low-altitude economy and new energy vehicles.

It will also push regions to set up technical classes for university graduates, so they can better align their skills with industrial demand, officials said at a press conference.

Several cities are already doing so. Beijing, for instance, is launching six full-time programmes for college graduates at technical schools this year, combining one year of classroom study with a year-long internship.

While officials say these programmes primarily target unemployed graduates, the policy push has triggered widespread scepticism online among young people struggling in a strained job market.

Some questioned the value of traditional academic degrees – which have long been seen as a prerequisite for social mobility in China – suggesting that skipping university for vocational training would save both time and money.