Ground broken for second campus of Lao-German Technical College

Construction of a second campus of the Lao-German Technical College is underway in Vientiane which will allow more students to take trade-specific courses, especially in the operation of heavy machinery.
The new college is funded by grants from the Lao and German governments and will provide additional options for students who have completed secondary school and want to take up vocational training.

The new facilities can  accommodate 220 students and are expected to be complete by April 2020.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new campus was held last week in Xiengda village, Xaysettha district.
College Director Mr Khamsavay Gnommilavong welcomed the attendees who included the Director of the Technical and Vocational Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Sports, Mr Nouphan Outsa.
Representatives of line ministries, the German Embassy to Laos, KfW, GIZ and current students were also in attendance.
The first campus, formerly known as the Lao-German Vocational School, was built in Vientiane in 1964.
Over the past six decades it has received substantial financial support from the German government and has become a flagship school in the area of technical and vocational education and training.  To date, more than 10,000 students have graduated from the college.
In recent years nearly all students have found a job straight after graduation thanks to the close relationships the college has established with private companies. Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Nouphan said the government greatly appreciates the significant support that the German government has given to the college over many decades.  He added that the second campus would greatly benefit students, teachers and the technical and vocational training sector as a whole.
Also addressing the gathering, Director of the KfW office in Laos, Mr Jan Wiegelmann, said the college was an outstanding example of the long-term cooperation between the German and Lao governments. The second campus would “add another chapter to the success story” of the Lao-German Technical College. Germany has been supporting Laos in bilateral development cooperation since 1963. This support is based upon financial cooperation through the KfW Development Bank and technical cooperation implemented by GIZ.
In 2018, the German government committed to provide 50 million Euro to the Lao government (30 million Euro in financial cooperation and 20 million Euro in technical cooperation).

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update April 10, 2019)