Foxconn is slated to hire 12,000 college graduates and 6,000 students from China this year, marking the biggest college recruitment campaign by the Apple assembler.

Terry Guo, Foxconn's founder, announced the recruitment program on Monday in a speech in Shenzhen. He was quoted telling Chinese college graduates to "roll up their sleeves and work hard" to help not only the company but also China's economy. Guo added that Foxconn's 30 factories in the mainland would serve as battlefields for the young generation to prove and improve themselves.

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Also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, Foxconn will offer a monthly basic salary of 2,400 yuan ($350) in Shenzhen and will eventually increase to 4,000 yuan ($581) overtime, the South China Morning Post reported citing recruitment notices.

"Upgrading manufacturing is our hope, but first of all we need to upgrade our talent," Guo was quoted saying at an R&D center-turned factory in Shenzhen's Longhua Industrial Park.

"When we are making new products, we need highly educated people. They have theories to refer to. We can provide [work] experience," he added.

On average, Foxconn has hired an estimated 7,000 Chinese college graduates every year over the past decade. While Guo acknowledged that the company has been associated with hiring farmers-turned-migrant workers, the iPhone manufacturer hopes to change that and recruit graduates and engineers from the countryside instead, as well as reduce reliance on labor-intensive manufacturing and increase workforce's skills and abilities. 

Foxconn is expected to have a busy year ahead as Apple is poised to release its much-awaited iPhone 8 model in the second half of this year.

Meanwhile, the recent recruitment move shows Foxconn's intention to stay in China, considering that the company spends $7 billion investing in the US. It also comes as China struggles to pivot its heavy industry and low-cost manufacturing economy to innovative, high-tech industries.

The move also comes despite US President Donald Trump's call to invest and create more jobs in the US. According to experts, although his plan is good, such initiative will hurt both China and other economies. Also, it would not be appealing for consumers if Apple products will come at a high price.