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Uzbekistan plans to train 500 young people from Qashqadarya region in German and send them to paid internships in Germany before the end of the year, according to officials accompanying President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on a regional visit on 21 October.
Mirziyoyev toured the Qashqadarya Advanced Vocational Skills Technikum and the adjoining “Professions Town” complex during his trip to the region. The facility, valued at 42 billion soums, sits on 5.2 hectares and comprises 14 buildings and structures, including classrooms, laboratories, workshops, a dormitory, a sports ground, a canteen and the vocational orientation centre. It employs 80 staff.
Currently 417 students are enrolled across ten disciplines. The institution draws on educational practices from Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, China and South Korea, and also serves as a methodological and practical base for other vocational schools in the region: 2,800 students from those schools complete practical training at the campus. Contracts for organising internships and dual-education programmes have been signed with 32 large enterprises, with a further 11 partnerships in the pipeline.
A conversation with departing trainees
Mirziyoyev met a group of young people preparing to travel abroad for internships. “All our efforts are so that you can acquire a profession,” he told them. “If you have a trade, you will never be in want. If you master knowledge and skill thoroughly, you will find your place wherever you are. Today you are being given such an opportunity. If you use it properly, you will lay the foundation for a prosperous life for yourselves, your children and your grandchildren. So do not waste a single minute.”
The meeting also underscored the importance of introducing vocational and language training from school age. The “Professions Town” centre was established precisely to identify children’s interests and aptitudes early and guide them toward suitable careers. Schoolchildren visiting the complex can explore information technology, green energy, robotics, drone operation and electric-vehicle servicing, as well as gain hands-on experience in tailoring, cookery, plumbing, animal husbandry and agronomy.
Growing demand from regional investment
Officials noted that investment projects under way across Qashqadarya region are increasing demand for qualified specialists, making it important to align the technikum’s curricula with employer requirements and to prepare graduates specifically for incoming enterprises. The campus is intended to anchor that effort, acting as a regional model for competency-based vocational education.