Xi'an Jiaotong University, one of China's top universities based in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, has been carrying a 2+2 training project with Xinjiang University for the most-needed talents in Xinjiang.

Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in far northwest has broad development prospects with rich resources, but its development of energy, power engineering, geological exploration has been slow due to its weak industrial base and lack of specialized personnel.

In 2008, the region's education department listed 16 most talent shortage professionals including energy, geology, electric and electrics and mechanics, hoping to get support from other universities.

Then Xi'an Jiaotong University and Xinjiang University launched the project in March, 2009 and the students of the project study two years in Xinjiang University for basic knowledge and then go to Xi'an Jiaotong University for further training to strengthen professional ability.

The project was approved by the Ministry of Education and is China's first and only project between the universities.

Xi'an Jiaotong University received the first group of 25 students of the 2+2 project in August, 2011, and arranged them to study in the university's energy and power engineering school for further training in system and automation.

The university specially formulated training programs and related courses for the students from Xinjiang in order to let them fully use the quality education resources in Xi'an Jiaotong University, according to Wang Xiaoli, standing deputy Party secretary of Xi'an Jiaotong University committee.

Zhang Jianjie, deputy director of Xinjiang University's academic affair, said that the maximum significance of the 2+2 project which is supported with Xi'an Jiaotong University's quality education resources and combines with the actual situation in Xinjiang is to provide high quality and most-needed professionals for Xinjiang's development.

From 2011, in total 111 students from Xinjiang have been trained in Xi'an Jiaotong University and 90 percent of the students went back to their hometown to work for the region's development.