The 10th Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum took place in Beijing on May 30, emphasizing the development of Egypt's Luban Workshops as a benchmark for China-Africa vocational education cooperation, based on the common goal of better mutual understanding and common prosperity.

The Egypt Luban Workshop (Ain Shams University) is unveiled on Nov 30, 2020. [Photo provided to tianjin.chinadaily.com.cn]

Meanwhile, more than 7,000 kilometers away, students at the Egypt Luban Workshops were receiving technical training on advanced Chinese machinery and equipment under the guidance of their teachers.

"Both Egypt and China place great importance on the workshop. It has benefited local youths and will strengthen the relations between the two countries," said Ahmed Moneeb Al-Sabbagh, advisor to the Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and deputy head in charge of Egypt Luban Workshop.

The Luban Workshop is an internationally renowned brand of vocational education spearheaded by Tianjin in North China. In 2020, two Egyptian Luban Workshops were launched, sponsored by Tianjin Light Industry Vocational Technical College and Tianjin Transportation Technical College, in collaboration with Ain Shams University and Cairo Advanced Maintenance Technology School in Egypt.

The training room for new energy application of the Egypt Luban Workshop (Ain Shams University) [Photo provided to tianjin.chinadaily.com.cn]

The workshops offer majors including new energy application technology, automobile application and maintenance technology, and CNC – computer numerical control – processing technology. They establish an integrated education system that spans secondary vocational education, higher vocational education and undergraduate education.

In 2022, a team of students from Tianjin Light Industry Vocational and Technical College and the Egypt Luban Workshops won the gold medal in the "Carbon Neutral Renewable Energy Engineering Technology" event during the first World Vocational College Skills Competition.

This achievement excited Ahmed, who said:"Through the EPIP -- a teaching model uses engineering, practice, innovation and projects to integrate theoretical teaching and practice. The Luban Workshop has helped students improve both theoretical and practical skills.”