BEIJING, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- China began Sunday to train Algerian engineers for building highways in Algeria.

    The training program is part of the agreement between two Chinese companies and the Algerian side after the Chinese won a bidding for highway construction worth 6.25 billion U.S. dollars.

    CITIC Group, together with China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), got the lucrative contract in May 2006. Meanwhile, the Chinese consortium promised to build some bridges and wells for residents along the highway, train Algerian engineers, invest 10 million euros in establishing an advanced engineering management school in Algeria, as well as organize Chinese agricultural experts to train Algerian farmers.

    The 76 Algerian trainees are taking the 40-day boot camp at either the Beijing-based Northern Jiaotong University or the Nanjing-based Southeast University, focusing on highway design, engineering and operation management as well as the Chinese language.

    Algerian ambassador to China Djamel Eddine Grine told Xinhua, such training programs are urgently needed by Algerian highway engineers. He said he appreciated the technical transfer from the Chinese side.