Yangpu and Pudong districts have recently recruited over 100 locals with college degrees to join their urban environment inspection teams, jobs that previously didn't require a college education.
Officials said that the move is aimed at lifting the general literacy level of the inspection teams to meet the demands of the city.
"College students are more capable of working as the city's street supervisors because they have good comprehensive knowledge, particularly about the law," Zhou Zhicong, vice captain of the urban environment inspection team of Yangpu District, said yesterday.
The inspection team basically patrol local streets to find and eliminate illegal phenomena - such as unlicensed stalls and those who distribute flyers to pedestrians.
Normally, the inspection team is made up of middle-aged men without college diplomas and sometimes they have to run after and even capture the businessmen by force.
Zhou said that the recruitment of educated employees aims to improve the team's image and work style while conducting their legal responsibilities in public.
"I think I am capable of doing this job. It's quite an interesting and challenging job for me," said Du Junjie, one of the new recruits.
Zhang Jieli, a female recruit, commented: "I believe I can do better than men on the job because females can deal with conflicts in a more gentle way."