Beschreibung: The bilateral Uzbek-German project "Support of the reform and modernization process
in the vocational education system of Uzbekistan" (TexVET) is part of the priority
area of "Sustainable Economic Development". German participation in this area aims
to create sustainable employment and more income opportunities for the population
of Uzbekistan and thus directly and tangibly improve its living conditions. According
to the agreements reached during the intergovernmental negotiations in 2019, the bilateral
project contributes to the adaptation of VET in Uzbekistan to the needs of the labour
market and supports the introduction of dual vocational education. The main political
partner of the project is the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation
(MHESI). Other partners are: - Ministry for Preschool and School Education (MPSE)
- Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction (MEPR), - Ministry of Economy and Finance,
- Textile Association UZTEXTILPROM, - Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), - NGOs
working with young people, especially secondary school and VET institutions learners.
The project supports the reform and modernization process in the vocational education
system of Uzbekistan and works on five outputs: (1) Capacities of MHESI to develop
and coordinate a needs-oriented national VET system with the involvement of relevant
actors from government, business and education have been strengthened, (2) Cooperation
among relevant parties in the field of vocational training, including the technology
industry, in order to adapt dual vocational training and learning is activated (3)
In the textile sector, there is a Sector Skills Council, which is composed of representatives
from industry and government agencies (4) The capacity of vocational training institutions
to carry out training courses relevant to the textile sector has been strengthened
and (5) Measures for the vocational orientation and career planning of pupils in general
secondary schools and vocational training institutions have been developed in cooperation
with industry. Due to the significant number of school leavers every year and the
high demand for qualified workforce, there is a strong political will to establish
an effective career guidance system in Uzbekistan. An important step towards increasing
labour-market relevance of vocational education was introduction of dual VET in Uzbekistan
in 2021 (Resolution No. 163 of 29.03.2021 'On Measures to Organise Dual Training in
the Vocational Education System'). With establishment of Sectoral Skills Councils
(SSC) in 2020, a legal basis for the systematic involvement of the private sector
in VET was provided. However, some of the SSCs exist only formally and others fulfil
the defined functions to a very limited extent. So covers the SSC in the textile sector,
coordinated by TEXTILPROM, the development and modernisation of occupational standards.
To take over further important tasks in VET such as Career Guidance, SSCs need organisational
support and capacity building. Even though a significant step forward in the modernisation
of the legal basis of VET has been made, Uzbek partners need support in putting into
practice recently adopted regulations. In the field of Vocational Orientation and
Career Planning, new cooperation models between public and private stakeholders have
to be established. Another significant challenge for holistic and effective career
guidance in Uzbekistan is the lack of information about diverse educational pathways,
professions and opportunities offered by vocational training. Furthermore, VET is
often perceived as less valuable and attractive than higher education. As in many
other countries, gender stereotypes still play a role in Uzbekistan in the choice
of profession. There is a lack of gender-specific measures that support girls and
women in making an independent informed decision about their educational and career
pathways.