An educational anti-poverty project in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province was recently honored with a national award by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China.

The ministry began narrowing down potential candidates in April 2019. Ultimately, Zhoushan's project along with another 19 projects stood out among the more than 100 projects from all over the country.

The project was first proposed by the city's bureau of human resources and social security in order to help locals in Dazhou – an underdeveloped city in Sichuan province – escape poverty.

According to the project, Zhoushan will provide vocational education assistance to students from poor households in Dazhou and help them become more employable.

The students can receive a one-year vocational education in Zhoushan after they have completed two years of schooling in their hometown. 

The project aims to cultivate technical personnel which the city lacks, including those engaged in electromechanics, tourism management and maritime business, among other areas.

Upon graduation, the students can decide whether to work in Zhoushan or not. Students who participate in the one-year education project will be able to easily find jobs in the city due to the high demand for the skills they are being taught, said officials.

So far, the project has brought several groups of over 240 students from Dazhou.

According to local authorities, out of the first group of 30 students, 15 have found jobs in Zhoushan and enjoy an average monthly salary of over 6,000 yuan ($850).