Wu Mengxian, 20, has set a clearer path for her future career after winning a gold medal at the Statelevel skills contest.

In May, China held its second national rural vitalization skills competition in Guiyang, Guizhou province. It featured 11 events focused on useful and practical skills, including bricklaying, farm machinery maintenance and e-commerce, with more than 700 competitors from across the country vying for victory.

Each event had separate group competitions for experienced workers and students. Wu won gold in the elderly nursing event in the students competition.

Wu, who is in her second year studying nursing at Shanghai Nanhu Vocational and Technical College, attributed her success at the competition to her studies and said they would pave her career as a nursing assistant for the seniors.

"I was hesitant about choosing nursing as my college major at first because I was not sure I would be patient and cautious enough to take care of the patients. But my parents convinced me that the major could win me a stable job in a hospital after graduation," she said.

The competition, however, removed any doubt about her future profession.

"The human touch and heartwarming moments with the elderly are really attractive to me. As far as I know, the elderly nursing sector faces a manpower shortage, and I think it may be an opportunity for us young people to find success."

Wu said she learned about the skills competition during her first year at the college. She decided to participate, and her outstanding performances at trial competitions won her an opportunity to take part in the State-level contest.

"I joined Shanghai's city-level trial selection in March and was in intensive training for a week before the national final competition started," she explained. "The training mainly focused on managing time, becoming proficient in certain operations and boosting communication skills with the elderly," she said.