Opening Day of JOBB Phase III: Five Young Trainees from Xinjiang Meet Shanghai for the First Time
Today marks the official start of Phase III of the JOBB Vocational Empowerment Program.
As in previous years, the student body includes both youth traveling from Kashgar in Xinjiang and special-needs students from Shanghai’s Ganlin Vocational School. What’s new this year is that recruitment has expanded: beyond Chinese culinary majors, JOBB is now welcoming applicants from all departments of Zepu Technical School, guided by the spirit of “Skills for Xinjiang.” This shift reflects JOBB’s founding mission—to provide equal opportunities for anyone with the will to learn, offering the possibility of a new professional path.
01) Nervous Anticipation | Leaving Home for the First Time
Stepping out of Shanghai Railway Station, the five young trainees were greeted not by the crisp, dry September air of home, but by the warm, humid atmosphere unique to this metropolis.
At just over a dozen years old, it is their first time leaving their hometowns to live alone in a city with a completely different climate, rhythm, and culture—a daunting challenge.
Like their predecessors, they traveled nearly 72 hours, crossing more than 5,000 kilometers from Zepu via Urumqi before finally arriving in Shanghai. Outside the train window, the scenery transformed from majestic mountains and deserts into a dense skyline of high-rises. Inside, their hearts beat with nervous excitement, carried eastward with the train. Unknown stories are waiting to unfold…
Our Dormitory
JOBB has arranged comfortable and convenient accommodations, not only to ensure proper rest after intense training, but also to help them adapt to collective living—an important step toward independence.
02) A Stirring Sense of Possibility | Shanghai, a City of Futures
Shanghai is known by many names—the Bund’s grand architecture, the bustling traffic networks, the thriving business districts of Pudong and Puxi. But above all, it is a city of opportunity and transformation.
For aspiring bakers, Shanghai may be the closest place in China to their dreams. With its flourishing demand for baked goods, the city attracts top pastry chefs from across the country and beyond.
Over the next year, JOBB will provide the trainees with systematic training in French and Asian baking, prepare them for the national Junior Pastry Chef certification, and guide them step by step—from the basics of flour and yeast to the mastery of classic recipes.
After the opening ceremony, they will dive into an intensive four-month program of theory and practice, starting with ingredient knowledge and moving toward hands-on experience with timeless baked goods.
✨ May their studies bear fruit. May their futures shine bright.
Let’s JOBB the future!