Luban Workshops educate over 190,000 trainees globally

China has established 38 Luban Workshops in 32 countries, cultivating more than 30,000 degree students and training over 160,000 non-degree trainees, the Ministry of Education said on Monday.

Liu Yong, deputy head of the ministry's Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, said Luban Workshops are degree education or vocational training programs jointly taught overseas by Chinese universities.

The first Luban Workshop was established in Thailand in 2016 by vocational schools in Tianjin. After a decade of unremitting efforts, Luban Workshops have risen from a "Tianjin practice" to a "national calling card" for China's vocational education, he said at a news conference.

Zhang Tao, director of the Tianjin Municipal Education Commission, highlighted that China has established 38 Luban Workshops in 32 countries, with Tianjin building 26 in 24 countries.

Ten projects, including those in Kazakhstan, Djibouti, Egypt and Portugal, were included in outcome lists of meetings between Chinese and foreign heads of state, she said.

The Egypt workshop was described by the Chinese and Egyptian presidents as a "benchmark for China-Africa vocational education cooperation", while the Kazakhstan workshop was unveiled at the 2025 SCO Tianjin Summit, witnessed by the two countries' heads of state, she added.

"Luban Workshops have become not only vocational education cooperation projects, but also 'small yet beautiful' landmark projects under the Belt and Road Initiative and a demonstration model for education cooperation serving the country's overall interests," Zhang said.

A total of 23 Tianjin universities and vocational schools have participated in the development of Luban Workshops, establishing long-term cooperation with 27 partners in 24 countries, she said.

They have developed 720 international courses, published more than 180 bilingual textbooks, shared nearly 12,000 sets of teaching equipment, trained more than 5,000 teachers from partner countries and enrolled more than 1,000 international students in China, she added.

Tianjin schools have also cooperated with more than 200 Chinese and foreign enterprises, including 50 Tianjin companies, to build more than 60 overseas training bases offering nearly 3,000 internship and training positions, Zhang said.