Shanxi Engineering Vocational College and Shanxi Xinganglian Metal Materials Development Co, both based in North China's Shanxi province, and the Harare Institute of Technology in Zimbabwe signed a memorandum of cooperation on Sept 19 to establish a college in Harare and jointly carry out applied talent cooperation and training projects. 

The three parties will establish the China-Zimbabwe Shanxi Harare Xinganglian College to focus on the six professional fields of metallurgy, coal, coking, machinery, electrical, and safety. Through technical skills training, academic education, and formulating an international standard for professional jobs, they will jointly implement collaborative teaching for applied talent under the Belt and Road Initiative. 

This is the first collaborative overseas project in vocational education launched by enterprises and schools in Shanxi province, marking the first step in Shanxi's vocational education endeavors on foreign shores. 

Shanxi Xinganglian Metal Materials Development Co is a key domestic producer of chromium alloy products and the only Chinese enterprise with overseas chromium mines. Zimbabwe is one of the company's overseas production bases. 

The joint education project will help Zimbabwean youth acquire vocational skills based on enterprise demands, expand employment, and promote social and economic development in Zimbabwe. It will also provide overseas Shanxi enterprises with skilled technical talent who are familiar with Chinese culture and meet professional requirements to relieve their labor shortages.