Supporting vocational education in China

The OPEC Fund is providing two loans to the People’s Republic of China to promote vocational and technical education. A loan of US$50 million will support the Shijiazhuang Vocational Education Project in Hebei Province, while another US$20 million loan will finance the Lanzhou Vocational Education Project in Gansu Province. The financing will ensure inclusive and equitable quality education while supporting lifelong learning opportunities. 

OPEC Fund Director-General Abdulhamid Alkhalifa said: “These projects mark another milestone in our fruitful cooperation, which started in 2007. In the last decades, China has made remarkable progress in achieving economic development and lifted millions of people out of poverty. The OPEC Fund is contributing to these efforts by supporting vital sectors such as education.” 

The OPEC Fund-sponsored projects will expand and strengthen the capacity of the existing vocational education system in China, delivering market-oriented education to approximately 25,000 young job seekers and about 30,000 professional and skilled workers each year. 

The projects align with China’s “Education Modernization 2035 plan”, which aims to develop a more skilled workforce and better align the country’s education system with its socio-economic needs. The loans provided by the OPEC Fund will help to advance this key development goal. 

Since 2007, the OPEC Fund has actively supported China’s development agenda by providing financing for sectors such as education, health, energy and water & sanitation.