The Laos-China Railway Company says it employs nearly seven hundred Lao nationals in permanent positions.
Lao employees under the Laos-China Railway Company work at the company’s headquarters and also at stations and on the trains themselves, Lao National Radio reports.
Deputy Chief Engineer at Lao-China Railway Company, Mr. Vongthong Souphanthong, told the media last week that the company currently employs a total of 1,206 workers, with 675 of them being Lao nationals.
He said that some 35 Lao nationals work at the company’s headquarters, while another 640 work at stations and on the trains.
Others have been employed as maintenance crew who inspect and repair electrical and telecommunication lines along the railway.
The company has carefully selected a small number of individuals with the appropriate qualifications and knowledge and has trained them to ensure that they understand their obligations while working on the Laos-China Railway, says Mr. Vongthong.
Chinese employees from the Kunming Railway Department are now working alongside Lao trainees, with the aim of undertaking capacity building to train Lao personnel who will take over these positions within the next three to four years.
“Lao employees working for the company must now train hard and learn as much as possible in order to transfer their knowledge to future Lao employees who will work on the Laos-China Railway,” said Mr. Vongthong.
The Laos-China Railway project has created 111,164 jobs for Lao nationals and has conducted 995 training courses for Lao authorities in the five years since the construction project began.
