China’s First “Modern Rider Academy” Unveiled in Guangzhou

100,000 Riders in Guangdong Expected to “Attend University”

On December 11, the signing ceremony of the strategic cooperation agreement between the Department of Education of Guangdong Province and JD.com Group, along with the unveiling ceremony of the Modern Rider Academy, was held at Guangzhou Vocational and Technical University. This marked the official establishment of China’s first “Modern Rider Academy”, enabling riders and couriers to pursue continuing education at university. Over the next three years, the skill training programs of the Modern Rider Academy are expected to cover more than 100,000 full-time riders and frontline staff of JD.com (including Deppon Express and Kuayue Express) in Guangdong.

Focusing on the Development of On-the-Job Riders and Creating a Dual Promotion Channel for “Academic Qualifications + Skills”

The Modern Rider Academy is a dedicated support platform for on-the-job riders and couriers to enhance their career development and professional skills. It aims to address the practical challenges faced by workers in new employment forms, such as unclear career paths, insufficient skill training, and difficulties in academic advancement. Through systematic and standardized vocational education, it opens up sustainable career growth channels for riders.

Leveraging Guangzhou Vocational and Technical University’s profound accumulation in vocational education and combining with JD.com Group’s real business scenarios and job resources, the Modern Rider Academy jointly builds an integrated growth ecosystem for riders. Riders who complete specific skill training programs will be awarded “Vocational Skill Level Certificates” or “Specialized Ability Certificates”. These certificates can serve as references for riders’ promotion and job transfer, and will also be included in JD.com’s rider talent archives.

In terms of academic upgrading, the Modern Rider Academy will actively connect with national policy channels such as higher vocational enrollment expansion and junior college to undergraduate programs. It will provide policy interpretation, exam application guidance, and learning resource connection support for eligible riders who are willing to pursue further education, helping them achieve academic advancement through the vocational education system. By integrating training, certification, guidance, and resource connection, it is committed to building an integrated growth ecosystem for workers, ranging from skill enhancement to academic upgrading and from in-depth job development to career transformation.

The Academy Will Establish a “Rider Rights and Interests and Development Research Center”

As China’s first vocational skill education platform focusing on the career development of riders and couriers, the establishment of the Modern Rider Academy marks a crucial step for Guangdong Province in promoting the healthy development of new employment forms and building a modern vocational education system that “serves everyone and supports lifelong learning”.

The Modern Rider Academy has built a multi-level and flexible training system. Currently, it mainly offers three forms of training:

1. Short-term training: The university provides teaching venues, and teachers from JD.com and the university take turns to teach. Specialized skill and safety standard training is carried out without affecting riders’ daily work.
2. Long-term training: Relying on industry-education integration bases, systematic skill training and assessment are provided for riders who intend to change jobs. Teaching is led by university teachers, and those who perform excellently in the assessment will be given priority recommendation to relevant positions within JD.com.
3. Customized training: According to JD.com’s phased employment needs, the university and the enterprise jointly set up customized training classes to complete batch skill upgrading and job transfer for riders.

In addition, the academy will establish a “Rider Rights and Interests and Development Research Center” to conduct research on industry policies and standards, and continuously promote the construction of the rights protection system for workers in new employment forms.

A relevant person in charge of Guangzhou Vocational and Technical University stated that starting from this unveiling, the university will continue to deepen cooperation with JD.com Group, give full play to its advantages in teaching resources in fields such as modern logistics and e-commerce, build the Modern Rider Academy into a “Guangdong model” for vocational education reform in new employment forms, provide educational support for more workers to achieve decent work and all-round development, and inject new vitality into the high-quality economic and social development of Guangdong Province.

Assisting Riders in Transforming to Technical and Management Positions

Centering closely on the needs of riders for job capability improvement and career transformation, the Modern Rider Academy, relying on Guangzhou Vocational and Technical University’s existing industry-education integration innovation platforms, training bases, and future “order-based classes”, has designed and developed a modular and stepped curriculum system, mainly including the following four modules:

1. Vocational Skill Advancement Module: With the support of bases such as the Guangdong Smart Logistics and Supply Chain Industry-Education Integration Innovation Platform, it carries out advanced skill training in intelligent scheduling system operation, basic maintenance of unmanned delivery equipment, green delivery practices, and warehouse management, helping riders transform to technical and management positions.
2. Laws and Regulations and Safety Standards Module: Through digital case teaching and scenario simulation, it strengthens knowledge of traffic safety, labor rights and interests, and platform service standards, improving riders’ legal awareness and professional standardization.
3. Soft Skills and Professional Literacy Module: Relying on Guangzhou Vocational and Technical University’s professional soft skills teaching innovation team and mental skill digital platform, it conducts training in communication and collaboration, emotional management, customer service, and career planning, comprehensively enhancing riders’ overall literacy.
4. New Technology Application Module: Combining JD.com’s technical accumulation in fields such as drone delivery and smart logistics, it offers relevant training courses, providing pre-learning opportunities for riders who intend to switch to positions such as drone pilots and intelligent operation and maintenance personnel.

JD.com will output its diversified industrial formats to colleges and universities in the form of educational and systematic solutions. Under the group’s industry-education integration strategy, it will focus on supply chain-related majors in universities in Guangdong Province, open up supply chain-related technologies and platforms, and jointly create a new paradigm of industry-education integration with vocational colleges and application-oriented undergraduate colleges in the province.

JD.com will co-build 7 JD Industry Colleges, explore 10 JD Super Campus Comprehensive Operation Centers, build 5 industrial technology innovation centers, construct 8 university-enterprise joint laboratories, and promote the construction of 3 industry-education integration public training bases with undergraduate and vocational colleges in Guangdong Province. JD.com will open enterprise application platforms and corresponding industrial resources in fields such as logistics and supply chain, e-commerce retail, artificial intelligence, and big data to promote the advancement of special plans and the implementation of results.

Teaching Model and Content of the “Modern Rider Academy”

1. Provide basic operation and safety standard training for newly recruited riders; offer courses such as daily English communication, food safety, and rider mental health for on-the-job riders; explore short-term full-time training opportunities for frontline employees in some businesses such as food delivery and logistics.
2. Provide training bases for future drone pilots and other personnel, and through co-building relevant majors and training centers, promote eligible riders from the “Modern Rider Academy” to transfer to positions such as warehouse management and drone pilots within the enterprise after graduation.
3. The university and enterprise jointly build a Rider Rights and Interests and Development Research Center. Focusing on professional fields such as rider rights protection, employment compliance, career development, and the application of artificial intelligence delivery technology, it conducts research projects, curriculum development, and teaching implementation to promote the regularization and standardization of rights protection.
4. Jointly create research results and realize their transformation. Under the guidance of the Department of Education of Guangdong Province, the university and enterprise will cooperate in curriculum development, textbook compilation, and academic research in rider-related fields.