The Turkmen delegation took part in the “Lu Ban Workshop” training seminar for heads of educational institutions of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries, held in Ningbo, China, from October 10 to 16. The seminar brought together participants from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus, and Tajikistan.
The Turkmen delegation included four representatives from the International University of Oil and Gas named after Yagshygeldi Kakayev, where the Lu Ban Workshop project is successfully being implemented.
During the week-long event, participants had the opportunity to exchange valuable experience and opinions, share fresh ideas and initiatives in the successful implementation and promotion of the international educational project “Lu Ban Workshop” in partner countries. Participants significantly expanded and enriched their knowledge and skills, improved professional competencies through training sessions and masterclasses, which were an important part of the seminar program and served as a valuable guide for Lu Ban Workshop representatives in educational institutions of the participating countries.
The global educational project “Lu Ban Workshop”, created based on the Chinese vocational training model and widely implemented since 2016, has become one of the most successful initiatives in the field of professional education. The project is part of the global “Belt and Road” initiative, aimed at strengthening international cooperation.
To date, the project covers 30 countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe, where 34 Lu Ban Workshops have been established in educational institutions. These vocational training centers operate in Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Thailand, Ethiopia, and other countries.
In Lu Ban Workshops, students are trained in areas such as robotics and industrial automation, renewable energy, telemedicine, aerospace technologies, smart technologies, and advanced manufacturing.
The establishment of the Lu Ban Workshop at the International University of Oil and Gas named after Yagshygeldi Kakayev has become one of the most important achievements in the development of Turkmen-Chinese educational relations. This project was initiated as part of the strategic partnership between the two countries and received support at the highest level.
On October 18, 2024, a five-party Memorandum of Understanding was signed on the creation of the Lu Ban Workshop in Turkmenistan between the International University of Oil and Gas (IUOG), Xi’an Petroleum University (XPU), Hebei Petroleum Vocational and Technical University (HPVTU), the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), and the China Association for International Education Exchange.
The Memorandum provides for the implementation of priority areas of cooperation, such as: organizing bachelor’s degree training in the Lu Ban Workshop, exchanging experience, applying innovative technologies and methods in the educational process, improving curricula and specialized programs of IUOG, XPU, and HPVTU, conducting scientific research, preparing researchers, and enhancing the professional skills of teachers through the use of the information base and human resources of IUOG, XPU, and HPVTU.
Currently, within the framework of the project, the parties are focusing on introducing modern teaching methods in applied geology and information technology, as well as organizing joint experience-sharing seminars between universities of the two friendly countries.
