In Uzbekistan skills and qualifications, which people acquire in schools, often don’t match the needs of the labour market. This problem is quite typical for many countries and the ETF could use its international expertise to help address the issue.

Uzbek authorities requested the ETF to focus its support on the development of national qualifications system. The decision was made after the review of vocational education and training carried out jointly with the ETF in the framework of the Torino Process.  

‘Uzbekistan is not starting from scratch in developing national qualifications,’ said Outi Kärkkäinen, an expert who coordinates ETF activities in Uzbekistan. ‘But the different components of the education and training system and labour market do not cooperate well enough. There is no common language for this.’

National qualifications framework has potential to establish this common language and help reduce the education-labour market mismatch.

Twenty officials from Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialised Education, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, Federation of Trade Unions and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry took part in the first capacity building workshop in Tashkent on 6 June. Donors active in the field of vocational education and training in the country also joined the workshop.

The workshop introduced the participants to the general principles of national qualifications frameworks. It also gave an opportunity to present a successful qualification framework initiative in Europe. Olav Aarna, the head of the Estonian Qualifications Authority did it by showing his country example and focusing on the elements relevant to Uzbekistan.  

The workshop was followed by a meeting of the task force on national qualifications that will work on the mapping of the current qualifications system.