Chinese Air Force directly recruits pilots from university

BEIJING: The first batch of students to graduate from a prestigious university in China under a joint programme with the Chinese Army have been assigned to the Air Force, marking a new process of directly recruiting from universities.

A graduation ceremony has been held for the 20-plus students, during which they were officially assigned to units under the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The programme, initiated by the PLA Air Force and Beijing-based Tsinghua University, recruited its first group of 32 students in 2011.

In addition to their chosen subjects, the students studied aviation, such as aeronautical engineering and mechanics at Tsinghua and received flying training at the Aviation University of Air Force.

The graduates were awarded bachelor's degrees in engineering and military science. They also obtained their pilot licenses.

The joint programme, part of a wider push to integrate civil and military resources in the education sector, is expected to attract more talented young people to pursue careers in the Air Force.