Ibrahim Maher Abdelhalem Ahmed (right), a student at Egypt's Luban Workshop, introduces an exhibition to visitors. CHINA DAILY

From the computerized numerical control training classroom at Egypt's Luban Workshop to the skills competition arena in Tianjin, the educational journey of Ibrahim Maher Abdelhalem Ahmed — also known by his Chinese name Xiaoming — illustrates how vocational education unlocks youth potential and links education, industry and cross-border exchange.

Xiaoming's Chinese-style vocational education began inside Egypt's Luban Workshop. There, he received introductory CNC technology instruction and gained handson operational experience on professional-grade equipment.

What impressed him most was the workshop's core teaching philosophy of "learning by doing, doing by learning", which connects theoretical lectures to practical tasks and builds natural links between vocational training and real industrial demands.

He later enrolled at Tianjin Light Industry Vocational Technical College for advanced studies specializing in CNC machining, industrial robotics and intelligent manufacturing. While studying in Tianjin, Xiaoming joined domestic and international vocational skills contests and gained multiple competitive honors.

In 2024, he won a bronze medal in the equipment-manufacturing category of the final of the World Vocational College Skills Competition. Within the same year, he took first prize in the Intelligent Upgrade of CNC Machine Tools and third prize for Robot System Integration and Application events at the Tianjin Vocational College Skills Competition Luban Workshop Category, as well as first prize in the North China Five Provinces University Students Robotics Competition.

In 2025, he came in third place at the Yalong Cup — Intelligent Production Line Installation and Debugging International Invitational Tournament of Luban Workshop.

The prizes document his technical progress across multiple engineering disciplines and demonstrate the value of skills contests for assessing learning outcomes and promoting youth-to-youth international dialogue.

In 2025, his story "the Tianjin growth path of Egypt's 'Xiaoming'" was selected as an outstanding case under China's new-era people-to-people diplomacy collection. Upon finishing his higher vocational studies, Xiaoming proceeded to pursue a bachelor's degree in intelligent manufacturing at Tianjin University of Technology and Education.

Xiaoming hopes to sustain long-term ties with Luban Workshop and China's vocational education community. His ambition is to bring acquired professional competences back to Egypt and share practical experiences with young peers across other Arab nations. His vision extends vocational education value well beyond individual personal advancement and embodies the long-term returns of international educational collaboration.

Li Yutong contributed to this story.