Laos-China railway operator calls for applicants for job training programme

The Laos-China Railway Company will hire 300 Lao nationals this year and will select suitable candidates for training in China in preparation for operation of the railway, which is scheduled to become operational in December 2021.
A meeting on the recruitment process took place in Vientiane on Wednesday, attended by the company’s General Manager, Mr Li Bingxuan, and representatives from Laos and China. 

The company will hire train drivers, engine mechanics, passenger service staff, train operators, and staff to work on passenger and goods trains. Applicants must be able to speak basic Chinese and have a college degree or higher.
The company will hire 600-700 Lao nationals in total but this year a first batch of 300 will be selected for training, a company employee said.
Personnel selection and training will be carried out in three stages. Selection will include an examination, interview and assessment of the applicants’ backgrounds. The successful applicants will then go for professional training in China.
The first group of 300 will go to Kunming in Yunnan province in June, where they will attend courses for 13 to 18 months. They will train as train drivers, engine mechanics, train operators, and supervisors of railway maintenance.
Interested persons are advised to visit the company’s website and social media page at: www.lcrc.ltd. or facebook: laos china railway company limited.
Send a curriculum vitae to www.lcrc.ltd, hr@lcrc.ltd and coordinate with the Laos-China Railway Company Limited (sixth floor of Vientiane Center).
Thousands of jobs will be created for local people by the Laos-China railway when it becomes operational in 2021, according to a previous report.
The railway is currently 83 percent complete.
To ensure an adequate supply of trained personnel for operation of the railway in the long term, the government is planning to build a vocational technical college with the assistance of the Chinese government.
Work has already begun on the design of the college. More than 30 teachers have been sent for training in China before taking up posts at the college, which will be built near the National Stadium in Vientiane.
It was reported previously that construction of the railway created more than 32,000 jobs for Lao workers.
The Lao and Chinese governments attach great importance to the railway, which is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative to build a global trade network.
The government hopes the railway will help to transform Laos from being landlocked to a land link within the region.
Businesses expect that the railway will help to significantly lower transport costs and enable them to become more competitive, as their growth has been hindered by high transport costs in the past.

By Phomphong Laoin
(Latest Update February 27, 2020)