Skills conference helps the world connect

Tianjin meeting focuses on attributes and requirements young people need to advance in global market

At the just-concluded 2024 World Vocational and Technical Education Development Conference held in Tianjin, Kalkidan, a 24-year-old Ethiopian, briefed visitors on an industrial robot-training platform at the Ethiopia Luban Workshop booth.

Lu Ban, a skilled all-around craftsman and inventor during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), is often referred to as the Chinese master of carpentry.

Co-hosted by the Ministry of Education, China's national commission for UNESCO and the Tianjin government, the conference ran from Nov 20 to 22 under the theme of "Innovation Empowers the Future, Skills Enlighten New Life". More than 1,200 delegates attended, including 600 from about 100 countries and regions.

Kalkidan received training from 2021 until September at the Luban Workshop in Ethiopia.

Established by the Tianjin University of Technology and Education and the Ethiopian Federal Technical and Vocational Training Institute, the workshop specializes in industrial robotics, mechatronics, industrial control, and industrial sensor technology, providing valuable skills to Ethiopian students in various fields.