Beijing has pledged to expand vocational training for young jobseekers this year, as it looks to help millions of unemployed graduates find work in emerging industries such as robotics and AI.

But the policy drive – which includes plans to encourage university graduates to return to technical school – has drawn mixed reactions from a generation already hit hard by China’s youth unemployment crunch.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security vowed on Tuesday to upskill 1 million young...