French ambassador to China Herve Ladsous visited the Civil Aviation University of China (CAUC) on Thursday, saying initial success was made in running the Sino-European Institute of Aviation Engineering (SIAE) jointly set up by the CAUC and four of French top aviation colleges.

The establishment of the SIAE marked the beginning of cooperation of Chinese and French governments, higher education institutions and enterprises in training senior Chinese aviation engineers, Ladsous said, adding that further cooperation will be conducted in this field.

"It is a good attempt to train local aviation engineers in a multi-cultural environment," he said.

Established in April 2007, the SIAE aims to bring in French engineer training system to China's civil aviation system and train Chinese aviation engineers in both knowledge and capacity.

Last September, 100 students were enrolled. They receive education in three majors, including aircraft structure and materials, operation and maintenance of propulsion systems as well as electronic systems and on-board equipment, according to CAUC President Wu Tongshui.

Students will get engineer diploma after six-year study, which involves three years of preparatory courses and three years of engineer training. The introductory and professional training is undertaken by professors from both Chinese and French universities and experts of European aviation enterprises.

"Our university will gradually introduce education resources and models of French engineer training system to meet the increasing need of senior aviation engineers in China," Wu said.

At the end of his visit, Ladsous expressed the wish that more students could be enrolled in this program and all graduates would have a successful career.