Parents warned of consultant certification scams

As the results of the national college entrance exam, or gaokao, are released and college application season intensifies, some families are turning to paid consulting services to help navigate the process, fueling a market projected to reach 1.09 billion yuan ($150 million) in 2025.

However, the booming industry is shadowed by widespread deceptive practices within the associated training and certification market, where institutions lure potential workers with promises of "zero barriers to entry", "quick certification "and "guaranteed credentials".

According to Workers' Daily, a nationwide newspaper, numerous training institutions are aggressively marketing certification courses with fees that range from 880 yuan to nearly 6,000 yuan.