DARYA - A new era for education and training in Central Asia

The EU’s first ever regional project supporting young people in Central Asia through opportunities that foster inclusion and labour market skills launches today (13 June). ETF Director ad interim, Xavier Matheu signed the agreement at the ETF's headquarters in Turin. The project will be implemented by the European Training Foundation over the next five years (2022– 27).

The aim of the project is to help with the post-COVID recovery in Central Asia by developing the quality and inclusiveness of education, training and employment systems in the region. The project also promotes participatory and inclusive dialogue and cooperation mechanisms in each of the five countries as well as at regional level.

Already prior to the pandemic, young people in Central Asia faced a number of challenges to access quality skills development opportunities. Many of them have been relegated to employment in low wage sectors or inactivity, while for some, migration represented the only opportunity to find employment. As a result, young people are the most affected by the crisis either as participants in education and training provision or as labour migrants.

The ETF will be working closely with key stakeholders in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan building a system approach for better skills provision and employability for young people in the short and medium term at local, regional and cross-country level. Representatives from national authorities in charge of vocational education and training, skills development, and employment and labour market policies; agencies in charge of qualifications and quality assurance; social partners; civil society organisations; national statistical bodies; expertise organisations and think tanks will all be on board and joined by experts from EU Member States and EU Member State organisations as well as the development partner community in different actions.

The project has the following three thematic modules and key activities offering a range of topics and outputs that can be implemented to best fit local needs:

• Forward-looking skills development through better evidence and analysis of education and training outcomes and skills need;
• Stakeholder driven flexible and permeable approaches to qualifications at national and regional level in order to allow equal opportunities for all;
• Increased use of flexible and inclusive teaching and learning approaches, based on learning outcomes and relevant to the labour market.

Background Information

The EU-Central Asia Strategy for a new partnership was first set out in 2007. An updated strategy for EU-Central Asia development cooperation was adopted in June 2019. The strategy promotes sustainable energy, women’s economic empowerment, education and inclusive sustainable growth.

The ETF supports the European Commission and the European External Action Service in designing and monitoring EU technical assistance and budget support in the Central Asian countries and on promoting regional cooperation as part of the EU-Central Asia Strategy. It also continues to engage Central Asia in a system-wide policy analysis and monitoring progress exercise in vocational education and training via the Torino Process.

Press and Media requests

Maria Lvova Zolotarevskaya, Communication Officer, mlv@etf.europa.eu