The Chinese government Monday announced new policies to help students-turned village officials develop their career, in an effort to sustain the program that recruits college graduates to work in rural areas.

China started recruiting college graduates to become village officials in 2008 as a way to boost development in its less developed regions.

Currently, 200,000 college graduates work in rural regions with a tenure of two to three years.

The Organization Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee announced the policy as the 47,000-strong first group of student-turned officials are about to finish their contracts.

According to the policies, they will be allowed to run in village elections for party chief, village head and deputy head. If elected, they will continue to enjoy government subsidies.

The student-turned officials can also apply to extend their contracts as village officials, according to the new policies.

They will also enjoy preferential treatment if they wish to join the civil service or do post-graduate education, the policy document said.

When taking the exam for post-graduate education, for example, an extra 10 points out of 500 will be added to their score.

The government is also encouraging these young people to start their own businesses based on their experiences in rural areas - businesses like farm produce processing, orchards, small farms and cooperatives. The government will also provide more opportunities for internships in large businesses and set up a fund to provide microcredit lending to them.

The student-turned village officials can also find employment on their own, and the government will organize events to promote their employment.

This year, the Chinese government plans to recruit another 36,000 college graduates to work in villages.