URUMQI, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region plans to provide internship opportunities for 10,000 young people over the next three years to boost employment, local authorities said Wednesday.

The regional human resources and social security department said Xinjiang would provide such opportunities for 4,000 people this year, 3,000 people in 2020 and 3,000 people in 2021.

The move is tailored for college and university graduates who have failed to secure jobs for two years, as well as unemployed young people between the age of 16 and 24. Among them, priority will be given to those from poverty-stricken, low-income and "zero employment" families, and those who lack work experience.

The internships will last from three months to 12 months. Employers are required to provide subsidies and buy insurance for the interns.

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region created a total of 353,400 new jobs for its residents in the first half of 2019.