The Kazakhstan Luban Workshop, which is set to be built where China first initiated the Belt and Road initiative (BRI), is expected to provide strong technical talent support for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and inject new impetus into China-Kazakhstan ties in education.

An inking ceremony of the Luban Workshop in Kazakhstan, is held on May 18 in Tianjin, China. [Photo provided to Tianjin.chinadaily.com.cn]

The workshop, covering a planned area of about 700 square meters, will develop a total of 18 core professional courses in three modules: fuel vehicle modules, new energy vehicle modules, and intelligent connected vehicles.

In the first phase, it will provide majors on transportation equipment and technology and build three comprehensive training rooms and ten training areas.

On March 2, the Tianjin Vocational Institute (TVI) and D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University signed a memorandum on the joint construction of the Kazakhstan Luban Workshop based on both sides' sincere desire for cooperation.

Two months later during the China-Central Asia Summit, the two institutes signed a cooperation agreement on May 18 to advance the construction of the Luban Workshop in Kazakhstan.

Teachers from D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University receive pre-job training for the Kazakhstan Luban workshop in Tianjin, China. [Photo provided to Tianjin.chinadaily.com.cn]

From Aug 1 to 25, TVI offered a month-long pre-job training program for 15 vocational teachers selected by D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University. It mainly consisted of 20 courses and a total of 160 class hours.

Exchanges and discussions were conducted around key issues, such as cultivating talents, enhancing vocational education as a discipline, and establishing curriculum standards.

At present, the construction teams is making every effort to promote various works according to the unveiling and operation time points of the workshop, which will cultivate urgently needed professional and technical talents for Kazakhstan's economic and social development.