Colleges tell students to open stores

A vocational college from Zhejiang province recently said in its new admission system that a maximum of 50 points would be added if the student successfully runs an online store with five-diamond credit, which means it has more than 5,000 positive reviews on the products it sells.

According to Xinhua, Ningbo Polytechnic said the aim was to stress the importance of actual practice for e-commerce business. Unlike previously, vocational colleges nowadays value the cultivation of skilled talents.

Modern Gold Express, a Zhejiang-based newspaper, quoted Zheng Weidong, vice-president of Ningbo Polytechnic, saying the college wished to admit students who better serve the local economy. Zhejiang province is famous for its small and medium-sized enterprises.

The college doesn't judge the student's ability merely according to exam results. It also emphasizes practical application ability, said Zheng, adding the school respects each student's specialty.

Although many say one can cheat the credit system on a Taobao shop, the college's enrollment office director Zhou Chen said the school would track the online stores' transaction results over recent months to see whether they are run by the students.

It's not the first time a vocational school in Zhejiang has taken to running online stores as criteria for testing students' practical skills. At Yiwu's Industrial and Commercial College, the sales performance of students' online stores determined their marks on an e-commerce course from 2013. Those who don't make enough money will fail the course.

The first assignment for each of the 120 students the Industrial and Commercial College takes in every year majoring in e-commerce is starting an online store. Students are allowed to skip classes if they're out replenishing stock, meeting clients and partners or carrying out other business-related tasks.