Chinese firm empowers Malawi students with hands-on skills in railway project

NSANJE, Malawi, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- China Railway 20th Bureau Group Corporation Limited (CR20G), the Chinese contractor rehabilitating the Marka-Bangula railway in southern Malawi, has welcomed trainees from local technical institutions to gain hands-on experience at the project site.

The company hosted its first group of bricklaying trainees from Tengani Community Technical College in Nsanje District for a three-day educational tour that concluded on Friday.

CR20G Lab Manager Geng Penghui told Xinhua that during the tour, Chinese technical experts guided the trainethees through various exercises, including concrete testing and laboratory techniques.

Geng emphasized that the program benefits both the trainees and the railway project, as it helps to transfer essential technical skills to the local workforce, potentially opening employment opportunities for the students.

"A local technician is very important for the society and, as a project, we need professional technicians -- good personnel to do the job -- and we hope that in the future we can employ the students and build the railway," Geng said.

"We hope this kind of cooperation will last longer and, in the future, we will train them not only in tests on fresh and concrete, bricks and blocks, coarse and fine aggregates, but also in surveys and other civil knowledge," he added.

Each trainee received a Certificate of Honor from CR20G at the end of the three-day educational tour.

The visit was well-received by the trainees and their college authorities. Rudith Msombelo, an instructor from the college who accompanied the students, praised CR20G's openness to the visit, highlighting the exposure it provided to practical skills and professional equipment.

Steven Ngundumu, a Level 2 bricklaying student, described the visit as a valuable experience, saying that the Chinese firm was an excellent choice to learn from thanks to the advanced equipment and techniques it uses.