In the afternoon of August 31, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, Mr. Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, led a delegation to visit Tianjin Vocational Institute, where they inspected the professional training base for the university’s Luban Workshop. Xia Jingbo, Secretary of the Party Committee of the university, and Wu Zongbao, President of the university, warmly received the guests.

The 18-member delegation included Mr. Serik Kalqamanov, Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan; Mr. Meirbek Izbasar, Deputy Director-General of the department; Mr. Askar Karibzhanov, an employee of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in China; as well as university presidents from Kazakhstan: Prof. Sydykov Erlan Battashevich of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Prof. Rakhmetullina Saule Zhadigerovna of East Kazakhstan Technical University, and Prof. Zharmagambetova Meruert Sovetovna of Kazakh University of Logistics and Transport.

Accompanied by Secretary Xia Jingbo and President Wu Zongbao, Minister Sayasat Nurbek and his entourage visited the training center of the School of Automotive Engineering, the training center of the School of Optometry and Ophthalmic Engineering, and the Intelligent Manufacturing Industry-Education Integration Training Center. They held in-depth exchanges with the heads of relevant schools of the university. The delegation spoke highly of China’s manufacturing industry and advanced technologies, fully recognized the university’s overall educational strength and international development level, and commended the important role of the Luban Workshop in promoting vocational education exchanges and cooperation between China and foreign countrie.

During the visit, Minister Sayasat Nurbek fully affirmed the achievements made by the university in the field of vocational education. He noted that Kazakhstan attaches great importance to cooperation with China in education and science and technology. He expressed the hope to draw on the successful experience of China’s vocational education in the future to advance the reform and development of vocational education in Kazakhstan, and jointly cultivate high-quality technical and skilled talents that meet the economic and social development needs of both countries.

President Wu Zongbao stated that as an international brand of China’s vocational education, the Luban Workshop has become an important platform for China and SCO member states to share technological development experience and jointly nurture technical talents. Tianjin Vocational Institute has long been committed to advancing international cooperation and exchanges, and has established two Luban Workshops in Kazakhstan. He expressed the hope that this visit would serve as an opportunity to further expand practical cooperation with Kazakhstani universities in teacher training, curriculum development, talent cultivation and other fields, so as to provide strong professional and technical talent support for the high-quality joint construction of the “Belt and Road” between China and Kazakhstan, and inject new impetus into bilateral educational cooperation.

This visit has laid a solid foundation for further promoting vocational education cooperation between China and Kazakhstan. Both sides agreed to take the Luban Workshop as a bridge to continuously deepen educational cooperation in intelligent manufacturing, artificial intelligence and other fields, boost people-to-people and cultural exchanges and joint talent cultivation between the two countries, and contribute to the development of China-Kazakhstan friendship, good-neighborliness and eternal comprehensive strategic partnership.