In a significant expansion of Sino-Thai educational cooperation, over 40 Thai students are scheduled to undertake specialized high-speed rail training programs in China throughout 2026. This initiative follows a newly established partnership between Tianjin Railway Technical and Vocational College and Thailand’s Mahasarakham University.
The collaboration will see 30 Thai students arriving in Tianjin this April for an intensive 40-day practical course focused on rail transit systems. Additionally, between 15 to 25 students will participate in a joint ‘2+1’ undergraduate program specializing in railway signal automatic control, representing a deepening of academic exchanges between the two nations.
This educational partnership operates under the framework of the Luban Workshop initiative, China’s vocational training cooperation program with Belt and Road participant countries. The program aims to share technological expertise and establish standardized training protocols across participating nations.
Since initiating cooperation in 2018, Tianjin Railway Technical and Vocational College has actively collaborated with Thai educational institutions to transfer Chinese high-speed rail standards, advanced technologies, and specialized training equipment. Notably, Chinese-developed training equipment has been integrated into Thai campus curricula and has received official designation for Thailand’s national skills competitions, demonstrating the practical implementation of this knowledge transfer.
The partnership was highlighted during a recent visit by Mahasarakham University President Prayook Srivilai, who experienced Chinese railway technology firsthand through a subway driving simulator. This hands-on demonstration underscored the practical nature of the technological and educational exchange occurring between the two countries.