Employment is the foundation of people's livelihood, and entrepreneurship is the source of employment.

On March 5, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council pointed out in the government work report that it is necessary to optimize employment and entrepreneurship services and broaden the channels for employment and entrepreneurship for young people such as college graduates. Deputies to the National People's Congress from Hunan Province and members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference residing in Hunan Province have all stated that they will further strengthen their sense of responsibility and urgency, combine employment and entrepreneurship with a more positive attitude and more effective measures, unleash the "multiplier effect" of entrepreneurship in driving employment, and provide solid talent support for the high-quality development of Hunan's economy and society.

Striving to Promote Fuller and Higher-Quality Employment and Entrepreneurship

        In recent years, Hunan Province has actively implemented the employment-first strategy, placed the work of promoting the employment and entrepreneurship of college graduates in a more prominent position, and formulated practical strategies, taken practical measures, and achieved practical results around strengthening organizational leadership, exploring market resources, and innovating guidance services, in an effort to promote fuller and higher-quality employment and entrepreneurship among college graduates.

"The Party and the state are particularly concerned about the employment and entrepreneurship of college students. The government work report proposes to improve the employment-first policy, increase the coordinated support of various funds and resources, and promote full employment and improve the quality of employment. This has given us confidence to further improve the work of employment and entrepreneurship for college graduates," said Wang Renxiang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, vice chairperson of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Jiusan Society, and deputy director of the Hunan Provincial Department of Education. The provincial Department of Education will consult with relevant departments to expand the resources of policy-based positions, organize colleges and universities to intensify efforts to tap market-oriented positions, strengthen employment guidance services, guide and help the vast number of graduates to establish correct career choice and employment concepts, and continuously improve their vocational skills and employment competitiveness. It will also fully support college students' entrepreneurship, build a number of high-quality entrepreneurship education courses, form a provincial college student entrepreneurship mentor group, and select a number of provincial college student entrepreneurship incubation bases, so that the innovation and entrepreneurship dreams of college students can take root and blossom in Hunan.

Xie Ziqing, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, vice chairperson of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Zhigong Party, and vice president of Hunan Normal University, said that the school will further optimize and adjust the discipline and major settings to closely meet the needs of economic and social development. It will also intensify the efforts of education and teaching reforms, not only strengthening students' theoretical knowledge but also cultivating their abilities to overcome difficulties and innovate and start businesses, and actively embrace the era of artificial intelligence.

"University of South China encourages teachers to integrate multiple disciplines and deepen the integration of industry and education with enterprises to guide students in innovation and entrepreneurship," introduced Wang Zhen, a deputy to the National People's Congress and dean of the School of Pharmacy of the University of South China. In the next step, the college will continue to deepen the integration of industry and education, promote the organic connection between the education chain, talent chain and the industrial chain and innovation chain, and encourage teachers to bring scientific research achievements to the market through contract transfer, equity investment based on valuation or independent entrepreneurship, so as to play an exemplary role in guiding college students' innovation and entrepreneurship.

"The government work report proposes measures such as increasing support for private and small and micro enterprises and promoting the construction of a unified national market in depth, which will release a large number of employment positions and also provide more opportunities for college students to start businesses," said Tang Yue, a deputy to the National People's Congress and chairman and president of TRUKING Technology Limited. With the advent of the era of artificial intelligence, enterprises will also usher in broader development space, and more high-tech positions will be open to college students. "We will conduct in-depth cooperation with more colleges and universities to jointly cultivate students suitable for our innovative positions and come to the enterprise to develop side by side with us."

Cultivating a Favorable Soil for College Students to Start Businesses in Hunan

Hunan has the comparative advantage of "low-cost entrepreneurship and high-quality life." The Hunan Provincial Party Committee and the Hunan Provincial Government have always attached great importance to the innovation and entrepreneurship work of college students. In 2024, they launched the "Several Policy Measures of Hunan Province to Vigorously Support College Students' Entrepreneurship", cultivating a favorable soil for college students to start businesses in Hunan.

"Supporting and promoting college students' entrepreneurship in Hunan is an important way to relieve employment pressure and achieve the expansion and improvement of employment quality," said Yang Hongming, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, vice chairperson of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association, and executive deputy dean of the School of Electrical and Information Engineering of Changsha University of Science & Technology. The Xiangjiang Outstanding Engineers College of Changsha University of Science & Technology is the first Xiangjiang Outstanding Engineers College established in Hunan Province, playing a dual role of "innovation and entrepreneurship engine" and "bridge for the integration of industry and education" in promoting college students' entrepreneurship. In the next step, the school will optimize the discipline and major settings, deepen the reform of innovation and entrepreneurship education, and improve the support system for innovation and entrepreneurship, focusing on cultivating more top-notch innovative talents.

"Enterprises are the main body of innovation. We have actively responded to the call and will invest 100 million yuan in the next two years to support college students' innovation and entrepreneurship," introduced Li Jianyu, a deputy to the National People's Congress and secretary of the Party Committee of Hunan Iron and Steel Group. Currently, the investment company affiliated with the group has specifically established a results transformation fund open to teachers and students of colleges and universities, and the group's Technology Research Institute actively provides a practical platform for college students' innovation and entrepreneurship. "Enterprises' support for college students' innovation and entrepreneurship is a win-win result. On the one hand, young talents have a broader space for growth; on the other hand, enterprises can recruit more outstanding talents and promote the transformation of scientific and technological innovation achievements into industrial efficiency."

As one of the "Seven Ones" actions initiated by the Hunan Provincial Party Committee and the Hunan Provincial Government to support college students to come to and stay in Hunan for entrepreneurship, the program "Winning Gold 2025" created by Hunan Satellite TV and Mango TV has attracted college students from across the country and even around the world to come to Hunan to participate in the competition, and finally 30 college students were selected to start their entrepreneurial journey. "We have reason to believe that enterprises similar to the 'Six Dragons of Hangzhou' may well emerge from these 'golden seeds'," said Gong Zhengwen, a deputy to the National People's Congress, secretary of the Party Committee, chairman, director, and editor-in-chief of Hunan Broadcasting System (Hunan Broadcasting and Television Station). Hunan is being built into a "province friendly to young people" and a "hotbed for college students' entrepreneurship", and the mainstream media should jointly fuel this entrepreneurial fire. "Next, we will continue to use the lens to focus on the rooting and sprouting of these 'golden seeds' and more 'potential seeds' on the fertile land of Hunan, continuously cheer them on and empower them, and become a booster for college students from across the country to start businesses in Hunan.