- In general, Chinese students look positively into the future
- Qualifications and next career steps are very important for the young people
- The young talents are ready to invest in their future
However, students provided a positive assessment of their own competitiveness by international comparison, with an interesting trend: 44% now assess their competitiveness as being (very) positive, up from 38% in 2011. In addition, male students have more confidence in their personal competitive advantage – 49% view this in a positive way, compared with only 38% of the female students sharing the same opinion. However, the survey also reveals an increase in lack of confidence: 35% view their own competitiveness not (at all) confidently, compared with 25% in 2011
The second edition of the study conducted by the international automotive supplier, tire manufacturer and industry partner Continental on the expectations of Chinese students regarding the world of work, professions and careers, was presented in Shanghai on Wednesday. It was dedicated to the following key questions: What are the career ambitions of young people? What aspirations in terms of working conditions does the young generation have? What does work-life balance mean for students? For the representative survey, the Institute for Applied Social Sciences (infas) questioned 1,041 students majoring in engineering, natural sciences, mathematics, informatics and economic sciences.
In terms of career plans, earnings, potential benefits, advancement opportunities, and further training opportunities rank very highly on young people’s lists when choosing an employer. Elke Strathmann, Continental Executive Board member and Director of Human Resources, confirmed that the young talents have a clear desire to succeed: “At the start of their career the students want to focus on their work and profession as well as training and qualification. This is a clear indicator that they are willing and eager to progress. They put work first and see how to balance it with family and friends – not the other way around.” Nevertheless, the survey shows as well that 40% of the students stated that they would consider putting career ambitions aside for their family.
51% of the students see equal opportunities for men and women as being fulfilled in all areas of society. “Compared with the German results we can see an interesting difference,” said Elke Strathmann. “In Germany, only 28% of the students see men and women possessing equal opportunities in all areas of society. At Continental we care about diversity topics and we especially know that they differ from market to market. We offer equal opportunities to all of our employees which are reflected in our China organization. In China we have a high number of women and different cultures in top management positions already. ”
“I’m very glad that Continental has conducted the second student survey in China. Understanding the young generation’s career preferences and future expectations towards their professional life is a very important step in order to not only prepare ourselves for our business growth tomorrow, but confirming that we are already well positioned with our offerings. With over 17,000 employees in China, we believe those employees are one of our most valuable assets in the market and will continue to play a vital role in our success in China,” said Grace Hu, Vice President of Continental Human Resources China.
“In this context we want to build an early and continuous dialogue with students. Continental has been partnering with educational institutions and has initiated various programs reaching out to students, such as regular Campus Talks, the yearly University Competition, our newly launched Summer Internship Program, and the “Meet the Manager” Program, a concept where we give 20 students the opportunity to experience the daily life of 20 managers across China for one day – another innovative program we offer to the young and eager-to-learn students.”
