Chinese Central SOEs Boost Overseas Industrial Development

Chinese central state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have played a key role in fulfilling social responsibilities while contributing to local economic and social development where their projects are located by creating jobs and promoting industrial development.

Offering technical training for local people

In the Cardamom Mountains in Koh Kong Province, 350 kilometers from Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, lies the Stung Russei Chrum Hydropower Station of China Huadian Corporation Ltd. (CHD).

The station has generated more than 7.3 billion kilowatt-hours of power since its first generator unit went into operation in September 2013, effectively relieving power shortages in the country.

To better involve local people in the project, CHD joined hands with North China Electric Power University and launched a training center at the station in November 2019. The center was intended to give local people one month of theory courses and one-month internships to help them master professional technical skills for jobs in the station.

Language was the biggest challenge for the Chinese lecturers. Therefore, staff members at the training center translate text books into Cambodian and interpreters are arranged at every class. Three-dimensional images and stereo digital models are also used during the lectures to help students understand the content.

During the internship period, 13 technicians and backbone workers at the station are arranged to guide interns. Some learners and interns are appointed to core positions because of their outstanding performance during the learning and internship period.

So far, Cambodian employees at the station account for more than a half of its crew and more Cambodian people are joining in.

Zhang Ming, chief engineer at the station, said that the training improves Cambodian employees' cultural and technical knowledge, which not only benefits the development of the station itself, but has also cultivated a talent group for Cambodia's hydropower industrial development.

A lecturer demonstrates how a water turbine works at CHD's training class in Cambodia in November 2019. [Photo provided by CHD]