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A university specialising in winemaking and liquor manufacturing is to open in China, in response to a shortage of skilled workers.

Kweichow Moutai, which is best known for making a rice spirit called baijiu, said that it would spend RMB1.5 billion (?176 million) opening ¡°Moutai university¡± in Guizhou province next year.

The institution will be an undergraduate college with 5,000 students studying winemaking, grape cultivation, food safety and marketing, the reported.

The move reflects growing concern among Chinese companies about a shortage of skilled labour, with several opting to turn internal training programmes into more formal vocational institutions.

chris.havergal@timeshighereducation.com