China’s XCMG Machinery has trained a new pool of African engineers and technicians for its international service and support network under a newly-launched schemeThe heavy machinery manufacturer, headquartered in Xuzhou, announced this week that all 120 trainees from XCMG Technician College’s prestigious ‘Blue Sea Elite’ Young Technicians Training Programme in 2025 had secured positions within the group's international service network well ahead of graduation.All graduates have now assumed roles, such as service managers and engineers, across West Africa and in South Africa, as well as other regions, to become core members of XCMG's global service team.The company has extended its training model to Africa after the success of other localised schemes in key markets such as Brazil and Indonesia, where it has already nurtured over 3,000 international technicians to date.“This outstanding achievement — a 100% employment rate into international service positions — underscores XCMG's over 30 years of commitment to cultivating high-calibre technical talent,” the company said in a statement.“It highlights the success of deeply integrating industry with education and innovating international training models.”Africa has emerged as a buoyant market for XCMG Machinery so far in 2025, with the company supplying a range of equipment to flagship projects such as Guinea’s Simandou iron ore mine.This includes a shipment of 90-ton, 135-ton, and 400-ton mining excavators, as well as 130-ton mining trucks.Its ‘Blue Sea Elite’ programme, launched in 2021 through a partnership between XCMG Technician College, the Erfurt Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), and the Erfurt Educational Centre in Germany, blends the German dual-system vocational education with Chinese vocational strengths.“This fusion creates a highly efficient pathway specifically tailored to meet global industry demands,” the XCMG statement noted.The programme significantly enhances the international capabilities of instructors, fostering a collaborative, five-dimensional teaching system integrating work and study, it added.Over 20% of specialsed faculty are now bilingual or possess international experience, providing critical support for developing globally competent technicians.Graduates emerge from the scheme as overseas service elites equipped with international perspectives, exceptional technical skills and cross-cultural competence, the XCMG statement added.The company, which now ranks among the world's top construction machinery brands, said it is actively promoting further international adoption of Chinese technical skills and standards.Read more:
XCMG Machinery invests in Africa talent pool
Investing in a new generation
