全國唯一小龍蝦專業首批招生86人

A vocational school in Hubei Province is now offering the country's first degree in "crayfish studies" to train students in an important local industry.

日前，湖北省一所職業學校開設了國內首個“小龍蝦”專業，以此在這項當地最重要的產業上培訓學生。

Jianghan Art Vocational College's "School of Crawfish" in Qianjiang has so far enrolled 86 students for three crawfish-related courses, the Beijing News reported.

據《新京報》報道，潛江市江漢藝術職業學院“龍蝦學院”目前已招收了86名學生，進行三個龍蝦相關的課程學習。

Starting September 1, the two-year programs promise coursework in crawfish farming, cooking, marketing and catering management, as well as job placement.

從9月1日開始，這項爲期兩年的項目承諾進行小龍蝦養殖、烹飪、市場營銷和餐飲管理方面的職業培訓以及就業安置。

"The crawfish industry is ... worth billions of yuan, but we are yet to see an institution specializing in training," Xia Zhongzhi, a recruitment officer at the college, told the paper.

該校招生部工作人員夏忠志向該報透露：“小龍蝦產業價值數十億，但是至今還沒有一家專業從事培訓的機構。”

The major didn't seem to make the grade among netizens. "The students will soon regret their decision," wrote Sina Weibo user "minzhugg."

不過，這個專業似乎在網友當中不太受認可。新浪微博用戶“minzhugg”寫道：“這些學生很快就會後悔自己的決定。”

The sentiment was echoed by Chu Zhaohui, a researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences. "We need to evaluate carefully whether it's necessary for the industry before creating a new major," Chu told the newspaper.

國家教育科學研究院研究員儲朝暉也贊同這個觀點。他在接受《新京報》採訪時表示：“在開設這個新專業前，我們應當詳細評估它對於這個產業來說是否必要。”

Valued at 146.6 billion yuan ($21.58 billion), the industry employs over 5 million people, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture released in June, Caixin reported.

據財新網報道，根據農業部6月份公佈的數據顯示，小龍蝦產業當前價值約爲1466億元（約合215.8億美元），爲500萬人提供了就業崗位。