Soldiers conduct checkups on students at Shandong Normal University on June 19 as more college students are applying to join the army.

A record number of recent college graduates are considering careers in the Chinese military, and officials are happy to oblige, by opening up more than 120,000 spots for them.

Yesterday, the army completed a two-month pre-recruitment campaign for recent college graduates.

Applications in some areas have dramatically outnumbered those of previous years, but officials know that some will drop out of the military before November, the deadline for enrollment.

The government's directive allows graduates to terminate contracts with the army if they find another job.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) created an unprecedented number of spots for the country's 6.1 million college graduates this summer in the wake of a tight job market and an economic slowdown.

Eager to modernize itself by thrusting more talents into its 2.3 million-manned armed forces, the PLA hopes to provide the graduates a career in the armed forces, a source from the Ministry of National Defense was quoted as saying by the Xinhua News Agency.

To attract young men and women, the military and the government have worked out a 2.88 billion yuan ($420 million) financial package, in which graduates receive a one-time compensation of 24,000 yuan ($3,500) to cover his or her college tuition fees and student loans.

The recruit also would be given opportunities for future promotions within the army, and also a chance to apply for and attend graduate school. Also, recruits will be given employment opportunities upon their retirement from the army.

The incentives seem to have worked, recruitment officials said.

"The application numbers and the enthusiasm have both exceeded last year," said an officer, who wanted to be named by his surname Shu, at the recruitment office in Fushun, Liaoning province. "Young people think the military and the government are doing them a favor."

Chen Jianan, director of the armed forces office at Beijing University of Technology, found that applications shot up 20 times more than last summer to more than 100.

"But the army is still just an alternative for them. It's unpredictable to see how many will stick to the army by the end," he said.

Graduates who choose the army as their first career are making a smart move, given that the jobs are both "well-paid and experience-rich," said Chen Yu, an expert on the job market who works at Peking University.

The Chinese military has raised the bar for new army recruits in recent years, narrowing the chances for those who have a less education. At minimum, a high school diploma is a necessary prerequisite for army recruits in most regions in China since last year.

Women were excluded from the pre-recruitment campaign, but will be allowed to register in the official recruitment later this year.

(China Daily July 1, 2009)