China’s Luban Workshop cultivates talents for Ethiopia’s socio-economic development

The Luban Workshop, a vocational education program jointly carried out by China and its partner countries, has groomed plenty of talents for Ethiopia's social and economic development.

As one of the world's most fast-growing economies, Ethiopia is trying to diversify its economic structure in recent years. As a result,vocational trainings have become incredibly crucial.

Located in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, the Luban Workshop opened its first summer school this year.

Jiang Jiang, Chinese dean of Luban Workshop in Ethiopia, said the workshop has changed a lot since he first got here in 2011.

"Now, the students' enthusiasm for learning is much higher than the beginning. We often have to arrange extra classes to meet the learning needs of students. At the start, the number of students was fewer than 10, but now there are over 30 students in one class," Jiang said.

With over a decade of growth, the workshop now has many local teachers. In this summer school, some of them have already begun teaching.

"Only when Ethiopia's local excellent teachers, engineers and technicians be fostered in large number are they able to teach, develop and apply techniques independently, which is the foundation for Ethiopia's indigenous industry to grow on its own. Since the opening of the Luban Workshop for over the past three years, local teachers can basically run the workshop by themselves, and the reputation of Luban Workshop in society is also growing," Jiang said.

For many students, the training has been a rewarding experience as they can acquire a lot of useful knowledge very quickly with practical operation.

"This training is so valuable for me. I can easily understand every equipment. Within a few days, we can understand much more details about the robotic system and we learn it with practicality. And we also practice by ourselves. That really motivates me," said Henok Amanuel Emiru, a summer school student.

With years of efforts, students of the workshop have generally become talents who can contribute to Ethiopia's social and economic development.

"Luban Workshop is a very important workshop which links Asia - Africa. It's a very important link for the economic development in Africa by helping young people acquire new skills which are necessary for them to become part of the economy," said Shahbaz Khan, Director of the UNESCO office in Beijing.

China’s Luban Workshop cultivates talents for Ethiopia’s socio-economic development

At the final day of the 47th WorldSkills Competition in the French city of Lyon, the race for medals heated up, with participants from roughly 70 nations showing their mettle.

Formerly known as the International Vocational Training Organization, WorldSkills is an international charity, which organizes national championships for vocational skills. Every two years, the organization hosts a competition, attracting competitors from around the world.

This year's competition ran from Wednesday to Saturday, with the closing ceremony on Sunday. The event brought together approximately 1,400 participants from nearly 70 countries and regions to compete in 59 skill categories spanning vocations ranging from artwork to welding.

China sent 68 participants to participated in 59 different disciplines.

Teams say it is a collaborative environment, but winning gold can help make their professional career's sparkle.

"I think it's for their career, for the whole of their life. And then they can join this field and they can have a very good start of their journey, their life," said Zou Ningxin, a jewelry expert of Team China.

Medals may be up for the grabs but the goal of the biannual Workskills Expo is also for crowds here to draw inspiration.

This event is designed to give people a little taste of different parts of the working world and what ingredients are needed to be successful in a chosen career.

The expo also gives delegations the opportunity to learn from one another.

"They're able to come here and see how they match up against other countries. It's a benchmarking system as well as an individual assessment of the competitors who are representing their nation," said Shawna Bourke, director of Marketing and Communications of the WorldSkills International.

This biannual event is seen as an opportunity to try and address shared problems like water pollution.

"Urban water sewage treatment and industrial water reuse are the fundamental ways to solve this problem. So water technology is very important today," said Wang Zhan, water technology expert of Team China.

Several days of tough competition culminates in a medal ceremony. And the hope is that these competitors will inspire a new generation of skilled workers to come out of the woodwork.

Shanghai is scheduled to play host to the competition's 48th edition in September 2026.

Race for medals heats up on last day of 47th WorldSkills Competition