Ibrahim Maher, known as Xiao Ming in China, has charted a distinctive career trajectory through his participation in the Egypt Luban Workshop, a vocational training initiative designed to strengthen China-Egypt technical cooperation. Passionate about numerical-control machinery since his youth, Maher completed vocational training in Cairo before being selected in 2024 to study numerical control technology at Tianjin Light Industry Vocational Technical College in China.
Following this, Maher earned a bronze medal at the 2024 World Vocational College Skills Competition and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Tianjin University of Technology and Education. Reflecting on his experience, he credits the Luban Workshop with transforming theoretical knowledge into practical skills, fostering independent thinking and innovation, and fundamentally reshaping his career path.
This summer, Maher returned to Cairo to begin an internship with several companies engaged in China-Egypt trade, where his dual familiarity with Egyptian industrial conditions and Chinese technical standards has proven valuable. His responsibilities have included translating technical documents, assisting with equipment commissioning, and facilitating local teams’ understanding of Chinese manufacturing requirements. Maher sees himself as a “practical technical bridge” between the two countries and intends to build his career within Egypt’s manufacturing sector, aiming to enhance his expertise while contributing to China-Egypt industrial projects.
The Egypt Luban Workshop, officially inaugurated in November 2020 after initial preparations began in December 2018, represents a collaborative effort led by Tianjin Light Industry Vocational Technical College and Tianjin Transportation Technical College in partnership with Ain Shams University and the Cairo Advanced Technical School for Maintenance Technology. This initiative established a “one-country, two-workshops” model that integrates higher education with vocational and technical training in Egypt.
The workshop not only focuses on skill development but also supports national diplomacy and addresses industry needs, according to Li Yunmei, Party secretary of Tianjin Light Industry Vocational Technical College. The establishment of Luban Workshops was one of the eight major initiatives announced during the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. China formally announced plans in April 2019 to set up the Egypt Luban Workshop, aiming to provide vocational skills training aligned with the growth of key projects such as the Suez Canal economic zone and Egypt’s new administrative capital.
Rapid expansion in new-energy, smart manufacturing, and high-end equipment sectors in Egypt created significant demand for skilled technicians familiar with Chinese technical standards. The program’s approach goes beyond supplying training equipment by incorporating the Engineering Practice Innovation Project (EPIIP), a teaching model emphasizing practical learning and problem-solving. Chinese and Egyptian partners collaboratively developed professional standards, bilingual teaching materials, and teacher training programs to enhance the curriculum.
In June 2025, more than 20 universities, companies, and research institutions from China and Egypt formed an international network focused on industry-education cooperation in new energy and smart manufacturing. This initiative seeks to better align vocational training with industrial demands and foster collaboration in talent development, technology, and standardization between the two nations.