Exploration and Research on Employment Guidance System in Universities from the Perspective of Artificial Intelligence ()
1. Introduction
With the development of artificial intelligence from technology growth to technology maturity, that is, from weak artificial intelligence to strong artificial intelligence, it will inevitably have an impact on the employment of university students. The employment problem of university students is a social problem. Whether the high-quality employment of university students can be guaranteed is the most basic livelihood of the country. The “New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan” issued by the State Council in 2017 [1] points out that “university should meet the needs of high-skilled and high-quality jobs brought about by the development of artificial intelligence in China by vigorously strengthening the training of artificial intelligence labor force. At the World Conference on Digital Education (2023), Wu proposed to reshape the new paradigm of digital education and comprehensively improve the level of talent training. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the influence of artificial intelligence on university students and their employment, and to explore a positive and effective employment guidance service system in universities.
2. The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on University Students’ Employment
2.1. The Substitution Effect of Artificial Intelligence on University Students’ Employment
With the continuous development of artificial intelligence technology, the knowledge structure and skills of university students are at risk of being replaced by artificial intelligence. First of all, with the development of the times, the substitutability of artificial intelligence technology is increasing, the labor cost is decreasing, and the research and application of robot technology are increasing. Under such circumstances, the labor value of university students is challenged and impacted to varying degrees. Secondly, the development of artificial intelligence technology makes the employment prospects of university students uncertain. Once artificial intelligence has mastered a certain work skill that university students are engaged in, and the labor cost is lower than that of university students, then university students will be replaced by artificial intelligence [2] . Finally, university students must continue to update their professional skills in the future to adapt to the continuous updating and development of artificial intelligence technology. For university students, they should have strong employment psychological self-adjustment ability, higher psychological quality, improve their core skills, and strive to have a place in the professional field to meet the challenges of the future. Therefore, university students need to constantly learn and improve themselves to ensure that they are competitive in the competitive job market.
2.2. The Creative Effect of Artificial Intelligence on University Students’ Employment
In the future, artificial intelligence will become the main driving force for China’s industrial upgrading and economic transformation. For university students, the opportunities brought by artificial intelligence to their employment are far greater than the challenges. First of all, artificial intelligence will give university students more space for all-round development, allowing them to engage in more autonomous and interesting work, while reducing work pressure and increasing satisfaction and income levels [3] . Secondly, university students who are good at innovation are less likely to be replaced by artificial intelligence, because artificial intelligence cannot replace creative tasks and innovative occupations [4] . Finally, artificial intelligence will create more new jobs and opportunities. Driven by technological progress, the professional setting of universities will also focus on the national strategy, so university students will have a broader employment space. Therefore, for university students, they are the biggest beneficiaries of the employment compensation effect of technological progress.
3. The Exploration of University Employment Guidance System from the Perspective of Artificial Intelligence
Based on both substitution and creative effects of artificial intelligence on university students’ employment, universities should incorporate employment guidance services into the three-wide education system. It means university should take employment guidance as an important part of ideological and political work, as well as doing a good job involving the whole process, all staff and all-round education [5] . In this way, integrating employment guidance services into the three-wide education system is increasingly seen as a means of addressing the challenges facing university graduates in today’s competitive job market. Recent studies [6] [7] have highlighted the potential benefits of this approach, including enhanced employability, improved lifelong learning habits, and greater all-around development. These benefits are achieved through targeted career training, job market information, and ideological and political education. Moreover, employment guidance services can cultivate students’ practical ability, innovation capability, and critical thinking, as well as promoting their sense of social responsibility [8] . Overall, this approach has significant potential for improving higher education outcomes and contributing to the development of a capable and responsible workforce that can meet the needs of a rapidly changing society.
3.1. To Develop the Dynamic Monitoring System of University Employment Based on Big Data
With the development of artificial intelligence and the increasing uncertainty of career, universities need to develop a professional and information-based employment dynamic monitoring system. At present, the employment quality report of many universities only investigates the current graduates, and lacks long-term dynamic tracking and analysis, so it is difficult to obtain comprehensive employment information and rules of graduates. The employment status of university students directly reflects the social demand and evaluation of talents, and also reflects the quality of talent training in universities [9] . Therefore, it is necessary to construct a dynamic monitoring system of employment in universities based on big data, and improve the early warning mechanism and employment risk feedback mechanism of disciplines. It is necessary to conduct in-depth and continuous long-term dynamic tracking and analysis of the employment market from the two channels of enterprises and graduates, continuously study the possible impact of artificial intelligence in the future, and adjust the syllabus and training program in advance.
3.2. To Construct the Employment Guidance Curriculum System of University Students throughout the Whole Process
At present, the employment guidance course in universities is mainly taught in the theory of single grade, which is not enough to improve students’ professional quality. Therefore, university should build a set of career planning and employment guidance courses throughout the whole process of the university, and train students to have professional qualities that are not easily replaced by artificial intelligence by greatly increasing practical links [10] . To bridge the gap between academic learning and practical experience, universities must enhance the training practice course of employability and professional quality improvements. This requires a comprehensive curriculum system incorporating various forms of training such as professional post-experience day, resume production, simulated interviews, face-to-face communication with enterprise tutors, recruitment practice, etc. Professional post-experience day provides firsthand industry exposure while resume production and simulated interviews teach effective self-presentation to potential employers. Face-to-face communication with enterprise tutors and recruitment practice aim to improve general post-competence in communication skills, teamwork, and time management. In the era of AI, universities should emphasize students’ ability to adapt to changes in the work environment at any time through various training methods like recruitment practice. Overall, universities must develop a training practice course that improves students’ employability and professional quality through designed training methods that enhance communication skills, teamwork, time management, and adaptability to prepare them for success in their careers, which can effectively deal with the potential risks of future employment.
3.3. To Update the Mode of Diversified Employment Guidance Service
Universities should use the person-job matching model and combine artificial intelligence technology to provide university students with employment guidance services that integrate personality analysis, career guidance, career design, employment information query and answering questions. First of all, by using artificial intelligence technology, a large number of employment data can be analyzed and mined, so as to provide students with more accurate employment guidance directions and suggestions. For example, through the data analysis of the employment market demand, it provides students with the latest, hottest and most scarce job information, and helps students develop personalized job search plans [11] . Secondly, artificial intelligence technology can be used for intelligent career assessment and personalized career development planning. Based on the comprehensive analysis of students’ interests, hobbies and personality characteristics, a personalized career planning report is generated. This can provide students with targeted career development recommendations. In addition, the combination of artificial intelligence technology and virtual reality technology can create a virtual reality job search environment, so that students can experience different job search scenarios in a virtual environment, simulate the process of interview, communication and collaboration, and help students better adapt to the future job search environment [12] . In short, with the further development of artificial intelligence technology, university employment guidance services will become more and more intelligent, more accurate and effective to meet the different employment needs of students.
3.4. To Establish a Team of Employment Guidance Teachers Keeping Pace with the Times
Employment guidance work should provide students with comprehensive and personalized services and support in terms of job opportunities, career planning, job seeking skills, recruitment and interview guidance, and career quality cultivation [13] . According to the concept of three-wide education system, all staff should be involved in the employment guidance work. Universities should integrate the resources of school teachers, so that counselors, full-time teachers, administrators, business mentors, external experts and other personnel to participate in employment guidance work, become the backbone of employment guidance teachers [14] . First of all, artificial intelligence technology can be used to provide personalized education training and professional knowledge support for employment guidance teachers. For example, employment guidance teachers can improve their professional quality through the online knowledge base of career planning and job search skills, so as to better guide students. Secondly, combined with artificial intelligence technology, interactive and full participation employment guidance teaching activities are carried out. Employment guidance teachers can discuss issues related to career development with university students through online Q & A and discussion areas, and provide employment guidance services that break through time and space constraints for more university students. In addition, employment guidance teachers, especially full-time teachers, can explore how to promote students to deeply integrate artificial intelligence with their majors, promote students to carry out self-education, help students form their own unique knowledge context, and become highly sophisticated or cross-disciplinary talents that artificial intelligence cannot replace [15] . This will become the most important competitiveness of university students’ future employment and effectively reduce the substitution effect of artificial intelligence.
4. Conclusion
In general, universities can better adapt to the employment market demand from the perspective of artificial intelligence through the following ways: developing a dynamic monitoring system for employment in universities based on big data, building a curriculum system for university students’ employment guidance throughout the whole process, updating a diversified employment guidance service model, and establishing a team of employment guidance teachers keeping pace with the times. These measures aim to provide students with more comprehensive, more accurate and more intimate employment guidance and services, cultivate students’ core competence and literacy that are not easily replaced by artificial intelligence, and promote high-quality employment of university students.
Acknowledgements
This paper is supported by Zhejiang Education Science Planning 2023 Common Prosperity Special Project (Project No. 2023GF053).