The first employment fair for Guangzhou college students slated to graduate next year was launched over the weekend.

The 2005 College Recruitment Convention was held on the campus of South China Institute of Science and Technology. The first of several rounds, Sunday's (Nov. 21) event was designed for the high-tech sector such as IT and electronics.

Over 40 employers set up booths, and as many as 10,000 applicants showed up. Because only 4,000 passes were given and no extra tickets were available on the spot due to the need for crowd control, most of the students had to go back in disappointment.

The lucky minority had to stand in line, sometimes for as long as one hour, to have a few words with a recruiter and hand in their resumes.

The second round, held yesterday, was for employment in electric engineering.

The organizers, Guangdong Career Placement Centre for Schools of Higher Education, Guangdong College Recruitment Promotion Association and Guangzhou Enterprises Union, decided to divide the recruiting sessions by campus and by profession so that each session can target the right candidates.

To accommodate the non-ticket-holders, the organizers posted the names of the recruiters on the outside wall.

Starting from December 5, another recruitment drive will kick off with four rounds, and will be held off-campus. Non-profit in nature, it will be free to both employers and Guangzhou-based students.

However, the organizers claim that they have reduced the "entry barrier" for out-of-province students. Any 2005 graduate from any college that falls under the umbrella of the Ministry of Education can apply.

The Guangzhou Metro Company is one of the biggest recruiters locally, with 269 openings. They range from railway transport, mechanical automation, to railroad power supply and construction of public buildings. The Guangdong branch of Bank of Communications will recruit 100 people in the fields of international finance, international trade and accounting. The Education Bureau of Dongshan District, Guangzhou, has posted 200 jobs for bachelor and master's degree holders.

Similar events will be held elsewhere in the province.

College graduates for 2005 will number 3.38 million across the nation and competition in the job market is fierce.

Government and non-profit organizations are pitching in to help ease the pressure by facilitating communication between those who do the hiring and those who are job hunting.

Cities like Zhuhai and Foshan are taking in anyone with a four-year college degree, no residency permit required.

Jiangmen even provides a subsidy to master's degree holders.

It is reported that IT, bio-technology, new materials, advanced manufacturing, environmental protection and international trade are the "hot" fields of employment in the Pearl River Delta.

Openings in software development in Guangzhou are as many as 20,000 while automobile engineering will need 6,000 new workers next year.

Editor: Olivia