“What preferential policies can college graduates enjoy in Yichang?” “How to support college graduates who have entrepreneurial dreams?”......On December 3rd, the Municipal Government issued A Notification on Encouraging and Supporting College Graduates’ Employment and  Entrepreneurship , and introduced several preferential policies including encouraging companies to employ college graduates, motivating college graduates to start their own businesses and offering employment assistance to poor college graduates and so on.

　　Among them, the following policies have become the highlights. The self-employed graduates can get small loan which is no more than 150,000 RMB. Graduates who start their own businesses can enjoy some tax concessions. In addition, settling restrictions for the full-time graduates of colleges and universities have been canceled etc. Reporters learned that this notification is put into force immediately and valid until December 31st, 2017.

　　Grass-roots Level Employees Having Priority in Regularization

　　What preferential policies can graduate employees at grass-roots level enjoy? According to the Notification, Yichang will implement the grass-roots level service projects including “Hiring college graduates to serve the village”, “Three Supports and One Assistance” Program(support education, agricultrue, health care and assistance to poverty-alleviation), “Go West”, “ College Graduates Volunteer Program” etc..The public institutions have rights to recruit them directly as official staff in order to attract college graduates to stay there working after the expiration of the service. In addition, for the graduate employees in the poor and remote counties such as Zigui County, Xingshan County, Changyang Tujia Autonomous County, Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County, the public institutions implement the preferential policy of regularization in accordance with relevant regulations. The civil servants in Municipal Authorities, except in special positions, should be hired among college graduates with more than 2 years experience at grass-roots level units.

　　Reporters learned that from 2014, the Municipal Finance Bureau will allocate special fund each year for this year’s graduates with a bachelor\'s degree or above. Graduates working full year in the company recommended by the Municipal Government will get a living allowance of 6,000 RMB. The local governments at various levels can also formulate the corresponding subsidy policy considering their real situation.

　　The Loan for Self-employed Graduates Up to 150,000 RMB

　　“Graduates having entrepreneurial dreams can apply for small guaranteed loans service”, the reporter learned that self-employed graduates can get small loan which is no more than 150,000 RMB. Graduates engaged in a partnership or starting small businesses, can get “bundling” loan which is no more than 150,000 RMB per capita and no more than 200 million in total and financial discount interest in accordance with the state-regulated benchmark interest rate. If the total discount interest goes beyond the provision, the extra interest can be paid from the special fund for employments from local governments at various levels. It is free of charge for college graduates to register their micro-enterprises and individual businesses in the industrial and commercial registration, and the whole process can be finished with only one form. Meanwhile they can also get some tax concessions.

　　The Notification clearly points out the government will further increase venture capital. From 2014, the Municipal Government will arrange 200 million RMB from special fund for employments annually and local governments at various levels will set aside some fund to support college graduates who start their own businesses. The capital support varies from 20,000 to 200,000 RMB according to the project’s ability to absorb employment, technological content, the potential economic and social efficiency, market prospects and other factors. From 2014, the Municipal Government will set aside capital from the scientific and research fund to support college graduates to start their own business in fields of software and internet etc..

　　In addition, Yichang Municipal Governemt will focus on supporting the construction of incubator bases of business students who possess exemplary and leading effect. Those reach the standard of incubator bases will get the subsidy of 100,000 RMB for three consecutive years from the special fund for employment.

　　Settling Restrictions to Be Canceled for College Students

　　Reporters learned that another highlight of the Notification is the cancellation of the settling restrictions of the full-time college graduates, which means that college graduates with junior college degree or above can handle settling procedures in the city where they work. The graduates with junior college degree or above who choose to work in Yichang can settle before the employment. In addition, the Government encourages counties, county-level cities, districts, enterprises and public institutions to build public rental housing to solve the problem of transitional housing for college graduates. College graduates who purchase the first set of ordinary commodity housing in Yichang can apply for housing accumulation loads after they deposit housing accumulation fund for six months. The graduates who purchase the house after at least 3-year employment (starting working in Yichang since 2013) will get a settling subsidy of 20,000 RMB. From 2014, the Municipal Finance Bureau and local governments at various levels will annually set aside certain special fund for college graduates’ settling subsidy.

　　In addition, the Government also offers “one to one” career guidance for college graduates who have difficulties in getting a job so as to help them find jobs through recommendation and from some public service positions. (Reporter Mei Ni, Correspondent Tang Zhiyun)