The Internationalization of China’s EPIP Vocational Education Model in Russia and Central Asian Countries Under the Belt and Road Initiative: Practice, Adaptation and Prospects

This study investigates the internationalization of China’s EPIP vocational education model in Russia and Central Asian countries under the Belt and Road Initiative. Integrating traditional Chinese pedagogical wisdom with decades of practical experience in vocational education reform, the EPIP model is structured around four core pillars: engineering-driven, practice-oriented, innovation-targeted, and project-based learning. Applied through the global Luban Workshop network operating in over 30 countries, the model has been progressively localized abroad. Adopting a mixed-methods approach that combines case study, comparative analysis, and document analysis, this paper draws on empirical evidence from EPIP Teaching Research and Application Promotion Centers in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Russia. It identifies adaptive mechanisms for transferring the model into diverse national education systems, critical success factors for its international diffusion, and its role in cultivating skilled talent for bilateral and multilateral infrastructure projects. The findings demonstrate a complementary implementation pattern between the two contexts. In Central Asia, driven by local industrial demand, the model has effectively advanced industry-education integration, curriculum and specialty renewal, and graduate employability. In Russia, underpinned by high-level intergovernmental strategic cooperation, notable outcomes include targeted teacher training, share of professional educational standards, and enhanced academic and scientific collaboration. The conclusion proposes forward-looking pathways for the global development of EPIP, covering digital transformation, mutual recognition of vocational qualifications, the building of a collaborative international education ecosystem, among others. This study highlights the value of the EPIP model as a distinctive methodology and the contribution of China’s educational solution to the evolution of global technical and vocational education and training (TVET).