Luban Workshop, a vocational education program jointly carried out by China and its partner countries, has developed into a hub for cultivating technical talents in Kazakhstan by teaching students in-demand skills and offering them hands-on experience.
In the name of Lu Ban, a famous craftsman in ancient China, the workshop in Kazakhstan started trial operation in December 2023. Combining academic education and vocational training, it shares China's advanced experience and prepares students for specific careers to provide Kazakhstan with talents urgently needed for national development.
Anasyr Meyrashev heads the workshop situated in the D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University (EKTU).
"I'm honored to lead this workshop, to be part of a grand project. Of course, it is also a great responsibility," Meyrashev told CCTV.
In the mountainous East Kazakhstan Region, the capital Oskemen is the largest city here and one of the major industrial hubs in Kazakhstan, with more than 1,000 factories settled here. As the country's machinery manufacturing industry expands rapidly, the workshop can effectively solve the pressing problem of talent shortages.
The Luban Workshop in Kazakhstan plans to train over 400 skilled technicians every year, who will be the new generation of professionals in Kazakhstan. The first phase of the program focuses on transportation equipment and technology, with four practical training areas for vehicle maintenance, gasoline vehicle systems, new energy vehicles, and intelligent networked vehicles.
"Leaders of Kazakhstan and China attach great importance to this program. It is particularly meaningful that the Luban Workshop began trial operation last year. Before that (in 2022), we celebrated the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan-China diplomatic relations. We work together to cultivate talents," said Saule Rakhmetullina, president of EKTU.
China's Tianjin Vocational Institute also provided professional training sessions for 15 teachers from EKTU, and Meyrashev was one of them.
"When I was a student, I didn't have the opportunity to learn modern technology. Now if you want to learn internal combustion engine technology, come here and you can find cars and workbenches. You can learn everything here. I'm so envious of today's students. They have such an opportunity to translate theory into practice. That's a great advantage," he said.
Every day after finishing his duties at the workshop, Meyrashev returns to the place where his dream began - his grandfather's garage. He transformed it into a live-streaming studio to show his skills online. As a car enthusiast since childhood, Meyrashev hopes the Luban Workshop can light up the dreams of more young people in Kazakhstan.
Luban Workshop empowers technical talents in Kazakhstan
Government officials and representatives of major media organizations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states attended a roundtable meeting on Wednesday in Astana, Kazakhstan, ahead of the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO.
Hosted by the China Media Group (CMG), the meeting was held under the theme of pulling together the media power and carrying forward the Shanghai Spirit. Attendees summarized what China and other SCO members have achieved in media cooperation and sought deeper cooperation for the future.
Shen Haixiong, president of the CMG, said mass media organizations should deepen cooperation and jointly promote exchanges and mutual learning by telling stories of people-to-people ties among SCO members and creating a fair, objective and healthy global public opinion ecology.
Shen said the CMG is willing to make joint efforts with the mass media outlets of SCO member countries to take the Astana roundtable meeting as an opportunity to push the development of the SCO to a new level.
Kanat Iskakov, Kazakh vice minister of culture and information, drew attention to the key role of mass media in strengthening mutual trust, friendship and good neighborliness. He hoped that through this dialogue, mass media organizations of the SCO member states could establish closer cooperative relations.
Andrey Denisov, the first deputy chair of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, said SCO member states should strengthen exchanges and cooperation in various fields and build a more just, reasonable, diversified and inclusive space for international public opinion in the current international environment.
Other representatives of major mass media organizations from the SCO member states also shared their insights on how best to strengthen exchanges and cooperation.
Bolat Nurgaliyev, a former SCO Secretary-General, said media outlets should strive to create a cultural atmosphere and environment of mutual understanding, mutual respect and mutual appreciation.
According to another former SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov, over 180 events dedicated to various sectors have been held during Kazakhstan's presidency of the SCO, and he suggested that a media union of the SCO countries could be established to strengthen technical cooperation.
At the event, an initiative to deepen pragmatic cooperation between the CMG and SCO mass media outlets was launched. According to the initiative, mass media should deepen cooperation, strengthen mutual training and share best practices.
Founded in Shanghai back in 2001, the SCO is a trans-regional organization comprised of nine full members, three observer countries, and 14 dialogue partners, which covers over 60 percent of the Eurasian landmass and nearly half of the world's population.
SCO members eye deeper cooperation in mass media
SCO members eye deeper cooperation in mass media
