Students get rare look into gov't work

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University students in Northwest China's Shaanxi province have been given a unique opportunity to complete internships with the provincial government in a move aimed at demystifying government work for the public.

Wang Yunhao, who studies French at the Xi'an International Studies University, now is working in the Shaanxi provincial government's general office.

It is the first time a provincial government has offered a large-scale internship program to university students, according to Tang Shaopeng, director of the provincial government's openness and media liaison office.

Tang said 50 university students started their month-long internships in 13 provincial departments on July 16.

After submitting their applications, the students had at least two rounds of interviews and tests before being offered the positions, according to Guo Lihong, deputy director of the provincial education department.

The students come from 17 universities in the province including Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi Normal University and Chang'an University, and major in a wide variety of subjects, including medicine, law and business administration.

More than 2,000 students applied to take part in the program, Guo said.

Before starting their work, the selected students completed a day of training in confidentiality and document writing, he said.

After one week of working in the provincial government's general office, Wang Yunhao, who studies French at the Xi'an International Studies University, told China Daily that the government was not as mysterious as he once imagined.

"I learned the news about the program from our school's radio and I feel very lucky to have such an opportunity to work in the government," said the student, who worked in Tang's office.

Wang said he is impressed that the government work demands great care and attention to detail.

"For instance, it required all punctuation be correct when I wrote a notice," Wang said.

Zhao Yutong, a student from Xidian University who works in the provincial human resources and social security department, had a similar experience.

Zhao said that he learned that even a minor mistake will result in a big inconvenience for others, therefore carefulness is always needed.

"The young students are bringing high spirits and vitality to our work," said Zhang Yaogong, head of the personnel division of the provincial letters and calls bureau, which received six students.

Wang Hongzhang, deputy secretary-general of the provincial government, said the internship program was on trial this year and it will be promoted to the city and county governments, and large enterprises, in 2014.

Each student will receive 800 yuan ($125) as a living and transportation allowance and will be required to write a summary report after completing the internship.

Wang Yunhao said that he will share his experience of the internship with his classmates and let more students know how the government works.