In response to the eight major initiatives of the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit, the first Luban workshop in Africa – the Djibouti Luban Workshop was – put into operation on March 28, 2019.
On March 28, 2019, Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh delivers a speech at the launch ceremony of the Djibouti Luban Workshop. [Photo provided to tianjin.chinadaily.com.cn/lubanws]
The workshop was jointly built by the Tianjin Railway Vocational and Technical College, Tianjin First Commercial School, Djibouti Business School and the China Civil Engineering Group Corporation. Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh and Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed attended the opening ceremony.
In March 2019, Djibouti Luban Workshop teachers learn forklift driving skills from Chinese teachers. [Photo provided to tianjin.chinadaily.com.cn/lubanws]
The workshop was built to cultivate local technical and skilled talents for the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway and Djibouti port. It has trained 148 students, 69 teachers and 95 employees. The first 24 students to receive order-oriented cultivation graduated in July this year.
Students sign employment agreements with smiles in July 2022. [Photo provided to tianjin.chinadaily.com.cn/lubanws]
In addition, it has completed 150 textbooks and over 1,400 hours of online resources and formulated a set of international standards. Its four majors, including railways and commerce, have all been incorporated into Djibouti's national education system.
On Dec 10, 2019, the training program and curriculum system in trade and logistics made by Tianjin First Commercial School obtain a certification letter from the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training of Djibouti. [Photo provided to tianjin.chinadaily.com.cn/lubanws]
The project has been reported more than 150 times by 34 Chinese and foreign mainstream media outlets, including CCTV and the Xinhua News Agency. It has developed a new way to promote local employment and played an important role in China-Africa vocational education cooperation.