(Photo from gmw.cn)

37 delivery workers will soon start their studies at Changzhou Institute of Technology. They will receive a subsidy of 1,500 yuan each and can obtain a bachelor's degree upon completing the required credits in two and a half years.

The logistics management program is a joint effort of Changzhou Federation of Trade Unions, Changzhou Postal Administration, and Changzhou Institute of Technology, created specially for people in the courier industry to improve their professionalism and abilities. The institute has added courses like Express Delivery Standards and Etiquette to a curriculum primarily focused on logistics management.

The workers come from nine courier companies, including SF Express, Jingdong Express and ZTO Express, and range in age from 22 to 45.

Liu Hua, delivery worker at OCS (Overseas Courier Service), said he pays 3,500 yuan of the total tuition of 5,000 yuan and has opportunities to earn a scholarship. The online and offline study ration is about 2:1, so he is confident to afford the time to complete the program.

Changzhou Federation of Trade Unions plans to provide such a subsidy of 1,500 yuan to 1,800 candidates, mainly migrant workers and front-line workers such as truck drivers, ride-hailing drivers, delivery workers, and others in new forms of employment in digital transformation. Those with excellent learning results will also be granted scholarships.