Hexa Megan Sdn Bhd, a joint-venture company between Asia Pacific Land Bhd (AP Land) and HELP International Corporation Bhd, will begin operating a new campus in China this October.

AP Land and HELP had entered into a smart partnership with equal shareholding in May this year to identify education business opportunities in any country, including Malaysia and China.

AP Land's joint managing director Low Gee Teong said the 20,000-square foot campus in China, now in the final stage of completion, is located on phase one of Platinum Galaxy Boulevard, a commercial development project by AP Land in Changshu City.

The project, with a gross development value (GDV) of about RM800 million, is on 65,421 square metres of land which was bought for RM44.8 million.

Phase one of the project is expected to be completed by August this year and phase two in two years, involving a GDV of about 500 million renminbi.

The new campus involves an investment of about 10 to 20 million renminbi. We will focus on vocational training and English for specific purposes at the initial stage, Low said at a press conference today.

Going forward, the campus can be expanded with the courses offered up to diploma and degree levels, he said.

Low said with multinational companies and factories mushrooming in Changshu, demand would be good for the education sector, catering to the development needs in China.

The joint venture will also oversee operations of the Victoria International College in Kuala Lumpur and Bandar Tasik Puteri Rawang in Selangor, which started recently, he said.

On the local front, AP Land and HELP plan to set up a 50-acre university college within the Rawang township in the next three to four years.

This campus will offer courses in allied health sciences to support the retirement home project we are planning as well, Low said.

Other courses on recreational and spa management, sports management, sports medicine and other vocational programmes will be offered gradually, he said.

According to Low, the partnership with HELP enabled both groups to exploit their respective expertise and synergies to complement each other and help to build a skilled workforce for the country. -- Bernama

LP International Corp, a Malaysian higher-education provider, rose to a record after the company said it plans to jointly explore business opportunities in Malaysia and China with Asia Pacific Land Bhd.

Shares of HELP climbed 5.1 per cent to RM2.68 at 3:50 pm local time in Kuala Lumpur trading. -- Bloomberg