(Yicai Global) Feb. 19 -- Kingswood Printing Ink, a Chinese manufacturer that has diversified into the education field, has partnered with two Canadian institutions involved in aviation tutoring to expand its pilot training business.

Kingswood, Flying Pacific Aviation Tech Education Investment and Pacific Rim Aviation Academy will set up a joint admissions office and train recruits in English, the Suzhou-based company said in a statement yesterday. The framework agreement needs further negotiation before a formal deal is signed, Kingswood added.

China's civil aviation sector is developing rapidly. It will need at least 28,000 to 56,000 captains and at least 100,000 co-pilots and flight attendants over the next 20 years, according to a forecast by American aviation giant Boeing. The country's domestic talent resources are still far from meeting this demand.

Trainees who pass muster will be sent for professional flight training courses overseas, and qualified graduates will be given internationally recognized commercial flight licenses and flight instructor licenses by the Federal Aviation Administration of Canada, the statement added.