Those at the State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on June 24 decided to improve the qualification system for rural doctors and veterinarians to facilitate employment for college graduates.

With the number of college graduates reaching a record high this year, ensuring their employment has become a weighty task, the Premier said during the meeting, adding that reforms should be done to remove obstacles and widen channels for them to find jobs.

Doctors are in great demand in rural areas and more veterinarians are needed for modern animal husbandry and animal disease prevention and control. However, college students in related majors still need to make great effort to take exams and obtain qualifications after graduation, according to the Premier.

Work should be strengthened to remove unreasonable thresholds in this field and provide more convenience for graduates, he urged.

According to those at the meeting, 16 provinces, including Hunan, Guangdong, and Guizhou, will refine the qualification system for rural doctors. Graduates in clinical medicine-related majors with a full-time college degree or above and clinical practice experience will be allowed to apply for rural doctors’ qualifications without exams.

Exam methods for practicing veterinarian qualification will be reformed. College students in veterinary-related majors will be allowed to take the exam before graduation and get the qualification upon graduation.

Also, registration permits for practicing veterinarians and rural veterinarians will be cancelled.

Premier Li also required efforts need to be made to launch pre-job training, enhance regulation, and implement incentive policies, such as offering subsidies.

Related departments should reduce employment thresholds, such as vocational qualifications, and take more market-oriented methods to expand employment channels to provide more convenience for college graduates.