China has established 38 Luban Workshops across 32 countries, providing vocational education and skills training to more than 30,000 degree-seeking students and over 160,000 non-degree trainees.

The workshops are overseas vocational training programmes jointly run by Chinese universities and their international partners, helping develop skilled workers to support industrial cooperation and Chinese enterprises expanding overseas.

Over the past decade, the initiative has evolved from a Tianjin-led project into a nationally recognised platform for international vocational education cooperation. The Ministry of Education has supported Tianjin in sharing its experience, establishing a construction alliance and an expert committee, and developing rules and accreditation standards.

Four recommended national standards, including general requirements for establishing Luban Workshops, are set to be released to improve consistency in their construction, accreditation, operation and evaluation.

Beyond the Luban Workshops, China has implemented more than 500 vocational education cooperation projects in over 80 countries and regions, fostering programmes such as Modern Craftsman Colleges and Silk Road Colleges to strengthen international industrial partnerships and talent development.