"Turn left, and turn right." A professional teacher was guiding students to operate equipment in Ethiopia Luban Workshop.

Handiso Selamu Yisihak and five other teachers participated in the 2021 World Robot Contest Championships on Sept 13, 2021. He won the gold medal.

Their excellent performance was the result of  comprehensive and meticulous professional training provided by the Luban workshop as well as application of the Engineering Professional Internship Program (EPIP) teaching model.

They usually deal  with engineering cases in the teaching activities in an innovative form. In addition, they are skilled at integrating professional theory into the engineering practice, which not only deepens their theoretical knowledge, but also increases their operational capacity.

The picture shows the teacher is testing and operating the equipment. [Photo by Wu Yiwen]

As a high-end vocational educator in Ethiopia, Handiso, deputy head of the Graduate School of Ethiopia University of Technology, once came to Tianjin University of Technology and Education (TUTE) to study for a doctorate degree.

He has been dreaming to continue to improve the vocational education in Ethiopia. After coming to Tianjin, he enthusiastically focused on and participated in the exchanges and cooperation between Ethiopia and Tianjin.

He said: "China has always given Ethiopia a lot of support and assistance, and has carried out extensive cooperation in education, economy and other fields.

"Many technologies of China are not only in the leading position in the world, but also very practical for us. These technologies should be implemented in Ethiopia as soon as possible.

"I will introduce them to my colleagues and my students, so that they can learn advanced technology and knowledge, and promote our national development."

The picture shows the teacher of Tianjin University of Technology and Education giving instructions to international students. [Photo by Wu Yiwen]

Nguema Ayingono Bienvenido Engono, a student from Equatorial Guinea majoring in telecommunications engineering, regards Luban Workshop as a rewarding program.

He said: "I have learned a lot from this program, and actually it's not my first time to come here. I participated in the World Technology Competition to represent this university too, which is about robots.”

Engono came to China in 2018 to study  skills and technology. He thought this experience would give him more job opportunities. After graduation, he would consider returning to his hometown for further development.

"I want to find a new enterprise about the internet when I come back to my home. Most of people don't have internet there, so that's why I came to China to study it," he said.

Wegi Keneni Feyisa, an Ethiopian sophomore also shared similar feelings. "There is not enough equipment in my country, but China owns a lot. Therefore, we can learn a lot from this program.”

People from two continents witnessed the unveiling ceremony of the Ethiopia Luban Workshop in April 2021, jointly built by TUTE and Ethiopia Skills Training Center, online at the same time.

Since the launch of the Ethiopia Luban Workshop, TUTE has positioned itself in artificial intelligence development. It has selected the world's advanced teaching equipment for the Ethiopia Luban Workshop.

TUTE has sent more than 500 teachers to Asian and African countries, and trained more than 50,000 teachers and students.

In addition to providing training overseas, TUTE also established a teaching team to train seven Ethiopian teachers in Tianjin.

Yan Humin, leader of Chinese expert team of the World Skills Competition Industrial Control Project, said: "The seven teachers will become Luban Workshop teachers after they return home."

More than 10 students and technicians are studying China's advanced professional technology in Ethiopia Luban Workshop. Benefiting from the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era, the open class let more and more African youth acquire as much potential in their careers.

Accordingly, TUTE will continue to cultivate compound talents who are proficient in Chinese and professional expertise for Ethiopia, setting a signpost for Luban Workshop programs in Africa.