In a groundbreaking initiative for China’s gig economy, the nation’s first dedicated vocational academy for delivery riders officially opened in Guangdong province on Thursday. The Modern Grassroots Workers Academy—collaboratively established by the Guangdong Provincial Education Department and e-commerce titan JD—represents a strategic effort to professionalize the rapidly expanding courier workforce.
Housed at Guangzhou Polytechnic University with satellite training centers across the province, the institution aims to equip over 100,000 full-time delivery personnel with enhanced skills within the next three years. The curriculum addresses both immediate practical needs and future technological shifts, offering courses in food safety protocols, mental wellness, English communication, and emerging delivery technologies including drone operation.
Lin Rupeng, Director of Guangdong’s Education Department, emphasized the academy’s role in bridging educational offerings with industrial demands. “Through the enabling power of education, we are opening new pathways for rider career development while creating a more dynamic model of industry-education integration,” he stated.
The initiative responds to the growing significance of China’s 84 million workers in new employment forms—including delivery riders, live-stream sellers, and ride-hailing drivers—who have become essential to urban ecosystems. JD executive Feng Lei clarified that despite automation advances, drones and robotics would complement rather than replace human workers. “These technologies raise skill requirements rather than eliminate the need for riders,” she noted, explaining that personnel must now operate intelligent order systems and collaborate with automated devices.
Academic expert Feng Lipan from South China University of Technology observed that the academy would help transform public perception of delivery work from low-skilled labor to a technically proficient occupation. The move parallels similar upskilling efforts nationwide, including Jiangsu province’s recent three-year action plan for workers in new employment forms.