China has vowed to create one million jobs for college graduates in the service outsourcing industry in five years amid a grave employment situation, according to a document jointly issued by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Commerce on Friday.

According to the document, the country will cultivate a total of 1.2 million personnel for the service outsourcing industry in five years, and they are expected to take up the service work worth US$30 billion from around the world by 2013.

Such outsourcing services include software research and development (R&D), product technology R&D, information technology R&D and industrial design among others.

"Service outsourcing industry features low resource waste and slight environmental pollution while at the same time producing high-profit products with high technology. It's of great significance to cultivate talents for the industry... and realize the goal of maintaining economic growth, stimulating domestic demand and adjusting market structures," the ministries said in the document.

The ministries called upon universities nationwide to set up courses and majors related to the outsourcing industry. Universities are also urged to cooperate with service outsourcing companies on such courses and provide internship to students.

In addition, the country will give hi-tech service outsourcing companies at most 4,500 yuan (about US$659) as training funds for each college graduate they hire. But they have to first sign at least one-year contracts with such graduates.

(Xinhua News Agency April 11, 2009)