Chinese tech firm supports new Luban Workshop in Kenya to boost technical training

NAIROBI, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese tech giant Huawei has supported the setup of a Luban Workshop at Meru University of Science and Technology, about 220 km northeast of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, which was built jointly with China's Tianjin City Vocational College in a bid to cooperate in developing programs that will boost technical training in the country.

Adam Lane, director of government relations at Huawei Kenya, said in a statement released on Thursday that his company will provide the Luban Workshop with the advanced equipment to train students.

Luban Workshop is a project named after the ancient Chinese craftsman Lu Ban to provide vocational skills training for local people. The first Luban Workshop was set up outside China in 2016, and has served as a platform for international cooperation that enhances education quality and global production.

Luban Workshops offer a combination of information and communications technology (ICT) and practice, which can provide a highly skilled workforce and strong institutions, Lane said.

Lane observed that Huawei has already worked with Meru University of Science and Technology since 2019 and has trained five lecturers in artificial intelligence and cyber security.

Romanus Odhiambo, vice-chancellor of Meru University of Science and Technology, said in a statement that his institution and Tianjin City Vocational College will cooperate to develop and operationalize a four-year undergraduate course in e-commerce and computer science.

Odhiambo noted that cooperation between Kenyan and Chinese tertiary institutions will expand the pool of Kenyans with advanced technical skills.