First Luban Workshop in Central Asia becomes new 'calling card' of China's vocational education

A teacher at the Luban Workshop in Tajikistan explains the functions and use of a device to students. (Photo courtesy of Tianjin Urban Construction Management and Vocation Technology College)

"I had never seen such a great place! It has all the devices geodesy majors need, and all of them meet the latest standards," a student of Tajik Technical University told People's Daily Online, recalling the first time he saw the Luban Workshop in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan.

"The teachers at the Luban Workshop asked us to use the total station to take photos and measure distances. I thought there's no way I could do it, because I had never used such a device. However, the teacher insisted that we should try it. And I succeeded in using it at last, for the instruction manual was very easy to understand," the student added.

Co-founded by China's Tianjin Urban Construction Management and Vocation Technology College and Tajik Technical University in Tajikistan, the Luban Workshop is the first of its kind in Central Asia. It started operating in November 2022, and has more than 300 teachers and students so far.

Since Tajikistan wishes to cultivate talent in geology and thermal energy, the two schools decided to collaborate on the training of students majoring in thermal energy application technologies and engineering surveying technologies.

Teachers from China and Tajikistan have specially written a Chinese-Russian bilingual textbook for local students in Tajikistan. The textbook has a distinctive feature: many passages in the textbook are accompanied by a QR code, by scanning which students can find videos explaining relevant information in more detail.

"The establishment of the Luban Workshop in our school makes us very proud. It will help us elevate our strength in science education to a new level," said Shahriyor Sadullozoda, vice rector for international relations of Tajik Technical University.

Thanks to the establishment of the Luban Workshop and training provided by experts from China's Tianjin municipality, teachers and students of Tajik Technical University can come into contact with and learn to use a lot of modern facilities that haven't been widely used yet in Central Asia, according to Sadullozoda.

"The workshop has improved our quality of education and helped us cultivate talent who can meet the demands of the labor market," he noted.

Named after famous ancient Chinese master craftsman Lu Ban, Luban Workshop is a Chinese vocational workshop program training talent overseas. The program has become a "calling card" of China's vocational education.

Since the Luban Workshop in Tajik Technical University started operating, the enrollment in relevant majors of the university has significantly increased. The university also plans to provide refresher courses for companies in certain fields.

"I believe our cooperation will make the Luban Workshop in Tajikistan a role model of retraining in such fields as science and technology and economy," said Sadullozoda.

The establishment of the Workshop has set a good example of friendly cooperation between China and Tajikistan, said Sadullozoda, who disclosed that Tajik Technical University and Tianjin Urban Construction Management and Vocation Technology College have formulated plans for long-term cooperation.

The two sides plan to set up a joint management committee for the Luban Workshop to make plans and implement vocational education projects, and establish a mechanism for regular teacher training, research, and exchanges of visits, to promote communication on vocational skills and people-to-people and cultural exchanges between teachers and students of the two schools, according to Sadullozoda.