Thursday marked the opening of an institution of learning that aims to upskill over 100,000 delivery workers. China's first "rider academy" was launched in Guangdong province, in a move that reflects the authorities' push to support the expanding courier workforce.

周四，一个旨在提升10万余名配送员技能的教育机构正式揭牌。中国首家“骑手学院”在广东成立，体现出政府对不断壮大的快递与配送群体的支持力度。

Jointly established by the Guangdong provincial education authority and e-commerce giant JD, the Modern Grassroots Workers Academy, widely referred to as the "rider academy", was inaugurated at Guangzhou Polytechnic University, marking China's first dedicated vocational education platform for full-time delivery personnel.
由广东省教育部门与电商巨头京东联合共建的“现代基层劳动者学院”（广称为“骑手学院”）在广州科技职业技术大学揭牌，成为国内首个面向专职配送人员的职业教育平台。

Lin Rupeng, director of the Guangdong Department of Education, said the academy reflects Guangdong's push to link education and talent chains more closely with the province's industrial and innovation needs, while building stronger safeguards for workers in emerging forms of employment and empowering them for future changes in the job market.
广东省教育厅厅长林如鹏表示，学院体现了广东将教育链、人才链与产业链、创新链深度融合的努力，同时为新就业形态劳动者提供更完善保障，帮助其适应未来就业市场变化。

"Through the enabling power of education, we are opening a new pathway for the career development of delivery riders, and by bringing universities and enterprises together, we are creating a more dynamic model of industry-education integration," he said.
他说：“通过教育赋能，我们为外卖骑手开辟职业发展新通道；通过高校与企业协同，我们正在打造更加活跃的产教融合模式。”

According to Feng Lei, a senior executive with JD, the academy will rely on university facilities, training centers and teaching staff across Guangdong, with Guangzhou Polytechnic University serving as the core base and several other colleges running satellite training points. Over the next three years, it will train more than 100,000 full-time riders and frontline couriers whom JD employs in the province.
京东高管冯蕾介绍称，学院将依托广东多所高校的设施、培训中心和师资力量，以广州科技职业技术大学为核心基地，并在多所院校设置培训点。未来三年，学院将在广东培训超过10万名京东全职骑手与一线配送员工。

The curriculum is designed to be practical and closely aligned with industry needs and development. Riders will access courses including food safety, mental well-being and English. To prepare for emerging delivery technologies, a training base for drone operators and related high-tech roles will be established, and qualified riders could be channeled into positions such as warehouse supervisors or drone pilots.
课程设计强调实用性，与行业需求高度契合。骑手将学习食品安全、心理健康、英语等课程。为应对配送科技发展，学院还将建设无人机操作等高技术岗位的培训基地，合格学员将有机会转岗为仓储主管或无人机驾驶员。

Guo Shuzhao, a JD rider, said the courses are closely aligned with their day-to-day work, covering not only operational skills but also safety regulations and service standards.
京东骑手郭树钊表示，课程内容与日常工作高度相关，不仅涵盖操作技能，还包括安全规范和服务标准。

"By completing the training to get certificates, our opportunities for career advancement will increase significantly," he said.
他说：“完成培训并取得证书后，我们的晋升机会会明显增加。”

The initiative comes as delivery riders, couriers, online shop owners, livestream sellers and ride-hailing drivers, classified in China as new forms of employment, become increasingly central to urban life. There are already 84 million workers nationwide engaged in such employment, data from the All-China Federation of Trade Unions showed.
该举措出台之际，随着外卖骑手、快递员、网店经营者、直播带货者、网约车司机等新就业形态劳动者在城市生活中日益重要，全国已有8400万劳动者从事相关工作（全国总工会数据）。

The size of this workforce and the volatility it faces have prompted several provinces to introduce structured training programs. Jiangsu launched a three-year action plan in October to expand skills training for people in these new forms of employment, covering smart-device use, labor rights and e-commerce entrepreneurship.
由于这一庞大群体面临就业波动，多地已出台系统培训计划。例如江苏省今年10月启动三年行动方案，涵盖智能设备使用、劳动权益、电子商务创业等内容。

The launch of the rider academy also comes amid rapid advances in automated delivery. Companies such as Meituan have expanded drone routes in major cities like Shenzhen in Guangdong, while completing more than 520,000 orders nationwide by early 2025, data from Meituan showed.

骑手学院的成立，也正值自动化配送迅速发展之际。美团等企业已在深圳等城市扩大无人机配送航线，截至2025年初已完成52万余单（美团数据）。

While drones and robots may reduce labor costs, Feng Lei from JD said that drones and related delivery equipment and technologies will not completely substitute for delivery personnel.
尽管无人机和机器人有助于降低成本，但冯蕾表示，它们不会完全取代配送人员。

She said emerging technologies "raise the skill requirements rather than eliminate the need for riders". Delivery personnel increasingly need to operate intelligent order systems and collaborate with drones and robots to complete deliveries, she said.
她指出，新技术“提升了岗位技能要求，而非消灭岗位本身”。骑手未来需要操作智能派单系统，并与无人机、机器人协同完成配送。

Feng Lipan, an e-commerce associate professor at South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, said the new academy is precisely intended to prepare riders for that transition.
华南理工大学电子商务系副教授冯立攀表示，新学院正是为骑手应对这一转型而设。

"It will reshape the public's stereotypical perception of the delivery rider profession, transforming it into a skilled occupation recognized for both mental agility and technical expertise," he said.
他说：“这将重塑公众对配送职业的刻板印象，使其成为兼具思维敏捷与技术能力的技能型岗位。”

industry-education integration

产教融合

emerging forms of employment

新就业形态

automated delivery

自动化配送

workforce volatility

就业波动