Luban Workshop, an initiative jointly advanced by Pakistan and Tianjin Modern Vocational Technology College, China and Punjab Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA)  is empowering local youth by equipping them with technical know-how. “So far, 33 Pakistani graduates have received both Pakistani vocational training certificate and Chinese academic certificate”, Ms. Zhang Ying, director of International Department, Tianjin Modern Vocational Technology College told China Economic Net (CEN).

Under this initiative, students first take a six-month course of Luban Workshop, then a 24-month study on electrical automation at Tianjin Modern Vocational Technology College, and six-month internship in enterprises in alliance with the workshop. “Eight enterprises in Pakistan have entered into industry-education alliance with Luban Workshop, providing employment opportunities to the students”, Ms. Zhang added.

Unveiled at the Punjab TEVTA in 2018, the workshop primarily serves the industrial modernization of Lahore and Multan to help Pakistan’s industrial transformation and agricultural mechanization. To cultivate technical talents with necessary capabilities, 32 teachers from Pakistan and China have developed six textbooks, one set of simulation software, 160 pieces of courseware, and nearly 1,500 minutes of teaching videos.

The star course, Industrial Automation and Robotics which has been included in the technical education and vocational training system of Punjab, has completed 4,000 class hours of teaching in the local area, trained 13,572 technical youth in neighboring provinces, and seen all the students find  “In collaboration with MNS University of Agriculture, Multan, we carry out an agricultural machinery training program. Following a two-month training last October and November, a Chinese company donated a self-propelled corn harvester to MNSUAM and more modern machinery are yet to be introduced to Pakistan”, Ms. Zhang told CEN.

Annually, an average of 512 local teachers, students, and users with bachelor degree or above receive agricultural training, promoting the mechanization and technological innovation in Pakistan’s agriculture sector. In Pakistan, about three million young people enter the job market each year. But lack of access to technical training and outdated training agenda are hindering them from landing a job and obstructing the country’s agricultural and industrial modernization.

Luban Workshop is an international vocational education project initiated by China. Up to now, colleges in Tianjin have set up dozens of such workshops in 19 countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe, empowering local youth to learn state-of-the-art technologies and contribute to their country’s development.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP