A vocational college in southern Vietnam has announced it will offer two new majors in metro and aviation services in the context of the country building its first-ever metro system in Ho Chi Minh City and planning to construct a massive airport outside the city.

Lilama 2 Technical and Technology College, based in Long Thanh District of the southern province of Dong Nai, will recruit students for the metro service discipline from the 2015-16 academic year, according to president Le Van Hien.

A school year in Vietnam usually starts in late August or early September and ends in late May or early June.

The German government has cooperated with its Vietnamese counterpart to sponsor a project to run occupational programs for advanced diplomas at the college, Hien noted.

The new major is intended to yield human resources for the metro system under construction in Ho Chi Minh City, he said, adding that Germany has been helping fund the development of one of the system’s lines in the city.

The system is the first-ever to be built in the Southeast Asian country.

The construction of the constituent line is one of Germany’s three main projects to be carried out to celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Germany in 2015, the German Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City said at a press conference in September.

Vietnam and Germany established diplomatic relations on September 23, 1975.

Students enrolled in the metro service major will study for 3.5 years and be able to maintain and operate urban railways upon graduation, according to the college.

Lilama 2 Technical and Technology College will start running aviation service courses in 2016, president Hien said.

The college aims to train a skilled workforce for Long Thanh International Airport, which is planned to be built in Long Thanh District at an estimated $18 billion and expected to be commissioned in 2022.

Apart from Germany, France is also sponsoring training programs at the school with the two countries’ total sponsorship amounting to 27 million euros.

Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City are about 30km apart.

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