BEIJING — Chinese authorities will increase retired soldiers' access to vocational education, in an effort to improve their abilities to find jobs and start businesses, and ensure full and stable employment for the ex-servicemen.

The demobilized military personnel are encouraged to apply to vocational colleges, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs and the Ministry of Finance.

Separate enrollment quotas and entrance examinations will be provided by vocational colleges for military veterans, said the statement.

Different from other applicants, the ex-servicemen can be exempted from academic testing but have interviews or skill tests instead.

Moreover, the demobilized military personnel can also enter secondary vocational schools without taking an entrance exam, according to the statement.