BEIJING — Kiplagat Kenneth Kiptoo, a young man from Kenya, took a flight in May to East China's Hangzhou, to pursue a bachelor's degree in intelligent manufacturing.

The 29-year-old Kenyan gained a scholarship as a winner in the Africa Tech Challenge, a vocational skills training and competition program sponsored by AVIC Intl, a company under the Aviation Industry Corp of China.

The program has provided training to participants from 10 African countries in fields such as machining, computer numerical control, steel and concrete.

Echoing the Belt and Road Initiative, AVIC started the Air Silk Road project in 2017. ATC is part of the project.

AVIC Intl plays a role in building projects with high standards, sustainability and benefits to people's livelihoods in countries involved in the BRI.

The company joins hands with global partners to cultivate technical talent, serve air transport using Chinese aircraft, and build a modern aviation infrastructure to boost connectivity along the BRI, improving livelihoods and connecting people.

Benefiting people

Transportation infrastructure is of considerable importance to the BRI, connecting people and facilitating exchanges and communication. AVIC Intl sees this sector as one of its key priorities in cooperation with countries along the BRI route.

As the international engineering subsidiary under AVIC Intl, China National Aero-technology International Engineering Corp has involved itself in over 300 projects in about 20 countries involved in the initiative. These projects include airports, aviation maintenance facilities, air cargo facilities and expressways.

"Such livelihood-betterment projects sustain connectivity and meet demand from these countries. We have made the best efforts to use local personnel and materials to serve local needs," said Liu Hongguang, CAIEC president.

Around 90 percent of engineering personnel involved in these projects are local staff. All raw materials, semifinished products and machinery that can be purchased and leased locally are from local suppliers, Liu said.

"China's technologies and solutions support these countries to enhance infrastructure technologies, upgrade industries such as air transport and tourism, and create employment for locals," Liu said.

Fulfilling dreams

Kiplagat values the opportunity to study in China and realize his dream of becoming an engineer.

"Since I arrived in China, I have learned of the diverse Chinese culture, breathtaking heritage sites, mega infrastructure, and great engineering projects. These make China a beautiful country to live and study in," he said.

Supported by the ATC scholarship, five participants have secured master's degrees, and seven are studying in China for bachelor's degrees.

"During our cooperation with African countries, we have learned that the unemployment rate in some countries is high and that skilled workers are in short supply," said Qian Rong, chairman of the AVIC Intl Project Engineering Co.

Besides the ATC program, the AVIC Intl Project has cooperated with local authorities in launching or upgrading more than 180 vocational institutes in Kenya, Ghana and other African countries, which train about 20,000 teaching staff and students annually.

Vocational training opens doors for local youth to gain professional competence in their careers and unlocks possibilities for achieving their dreams.

"It will surely be an exciting experience. I have finally come to the country which produces those robots and intelligent machines I used in Kenya, and I am so curious about how China makes them," said Kiplagat.

"It was an amazing experience joining the ATC, receiving training and winning a scholarship. After studying in China, I may become an engineer or a teacher to share knowledge with more young people," he said.

Source: China Daily