China-aided skill development center to be built in northern Laos

VIENTIANE, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- The construction of a China-aided skill development center will soon be underway in northern Laos' Oudomxay province, Lao national TV reported on Friday.

A ground-breaking ceremony marking the start of the construction took place earlier this week in Oudomxay province, some 400 km north of the Lao capital Vientiane.

The center will provide opportunities for workers in the country's northern provinces to learn new skills to be better equipped for the labor market, according to the report.

Speaking at the ceremony, Oudomxay province Governor Bounkhong Lachiamphone said the China-funded skill development center served to further promote the ties between the two nations.

According to the report, the center consists of classrooms and practical training facilities, an office building, a cafeteria, and dormitories for students and teachers. There will also be some sports facilities.

To provide intermediate-level training, the center will be used to train teachers, build teaching partnerships, and select talented students for exchange programs in China.

Also speaking at the ceremony, Lao Labor and Social Welfare Minister LBaykham Khattiya said the skill development center was one of 10 such facilities in Laos supported by the Chinese government.