4th DARYA High-Level Group: Strengthening skills partnerships between Europe and Central Asia

The 4th meeting of the High-Level Group of the EU-funded €10 million DARYA (Dialogue and Action for Resourceful Youth in Central Asia) programme opened today in Turin, hosted by the European Training Foundation (ETF).

The event brought together Deputy Ministers of Education and Labour from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, alongside representatives from EU institutions, international organisations and social partners.

Dialogue, evidence and partnerships

Opening the meeting, ETF Director Pilvi Torsti stressed the importance of translating dialogue into tangible results. 

“DARYA shows what we can achieve together when dialogue and evidence turn into action,” she said. “Now, at the mid-term of the project, it has already strengthened the links between education and labour markets, building trust, concrete results, and valuable evidence for future-oriented policy action. Our vision, in Central Asia and beyond, is clear: there is no competitiveness without competences.”

Welcoming participants to the city, Michela Favaro, Vice Mayor of Turin, recalled the ETF’s long-standing role as a hub of international cooperation and local engagement.

 “Turin is a city of learning and solidarity, where we believe that skills and partnerships are the foundations of inclusive and sustainable societies. Empowering young people through skills is our strongest investment in the future,” she said.

From the academic world, Elena Maria Baralis, Deputy Rector of the Polytechnic University of Turin, pointed to long-term partnerships as a model of sustainable international cooperation. The successful collaboration with Uzbekistan can serve as a model for further strengthening partnerships across the entire Central Asian region.

“Our 15-year partnership with Tashkent University proves that true collaboration goes beyond student exchange: it builds bridges between universities and societies,” she noted. “Uzbekistan is now our main partner.”

From the EU side, Eduards Stiprais, EU Special Representative for Central Asia, underlined that “EU–Central Asia cooperation has never been more relevant than today.” He linked investment and skills as mutually reinforcing priorities: 

“With one of the world’s youngest populations, Central Asia has tremendous potential. Through the Global Gateway initiative, the EU is helping the region build the skills needed to make investments impactful for local communities.”

Country perspectives: Skills as a foundation for competitiveness

Country delegations underlined how DARYA is helping them reform education and labour systems to respond to demographic, economic and technological transformations.

Kazakhstan

Askar Biahmetov, Vice Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of Kazakhstan, and Alma Kazhkenova, Head of Unit at the Ministry of Education, emphasised that developing skills and building sustainable partnerships between government, business and education are strategic priorities.

“For Kazakhstan, human capital is the key to competitiveness,” said Biahmetov. “Cooperation with the EU supports the modernisation of workforce training, the implementation of independent qualification assessments, and the renewal of professional standards.”

Kazhkenova added that Kazakhstan’s national strategy increasingly links skills with sustainable investment: “We are investing in infrastructure, transport and green energy. The EU’s engagement in clean and water energy — through the memorandum between the EU, EBRD, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan — will strengthen energy and water security across the region.”

Kyrgyzstan

From Kyrgyzstan, Albert Makhmetkulov, Deputy Minister of Education at the Ministry of Enlightenment, described how demographic trends and migration are putting pressure on the labour market. 

“We need to strengthen cooperation between education and labour policies,” he said. “DARYA helps us address youth employment, skills forecasting, and the validation of professional standards.” He noted progress in establishing a national qualifications system and legal frameworks for skills validation — a key priority for Kyrgyzstan in the next phase of the programme.

Makhmetkulov also recalled key DARYA events hosted by Kyrgyzstan, including the regional Forum on Qualifications held in Bishkek in October 2024 and the recent Summer School on Innovative Teaching and Learning, organised in Issyk-Kul.

Turkmenistan

Representing Turkmenistan, Halbibi Tachjanova, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population, described DARYA as “a key platform for dialogue between the region and the EU, and the first programme to focus on inclusive approaches for youth.”

Georgios Zisimos, Head of the ETF’s Policy Advice Unit, echoed her point: “DARYA is not just a project — it is your platform. It is built on the needs, priorities and ambitions of your countries, and shaped by your engagement.”

Her colleague Azat Atayev, Deputy Minister of Education, presented Turkmenistan’s education reforms, emphasising the importance of international cooperation. 

“Under DARYA, we are developing new vocational standards, expanding teacher training on digital and green skills, also through innovative tools like SCAFFOLD, and preparing to establish Centres of Vocational Excellence — as we see them as bridges between the EU and Central Asia,” he said.

Uzbekistan

From Uzbekistan, Alisher Muratov, Deputy Minister of Employment and Poverty Reduction, reaffirmed that “skills development is a national priority.” He explained that Uzbekistan has introduced a voucher system to support low-income students and launched major reforms aligning vocational training with labour market demand in key sectors such as automotive, textiles and tourism. 

“Our aim is to create conditions where every individual can develop their competences and passions, regardless of their background,” Muratov said.

Bakhtiyor Yuldashev, Director of the National Agency for Quality Assurance of Education, added that Uzbekistan is now entering a new phase focused entirely on transforming the TVET system. “With 60 percent of our population under 30, this is our greatest resource, as well as our biggest responsibility,” he said, thanking DARYA and the ETF for “creating conditions for sharing ideas and evidence that inspire real policy change.”

Connecting investments and skills: the EU Global Gateway

The link between education, skills, and sustainable investment was further explored in a session dedicated to Global Gateway, the EU’s major connectivity and investment strategy. Moderated by Donatella Di Vozzo, HCD expert at the ETF, the discussion also focused on the transport sector — identified as a key driver of economic growth and regional connectivity in Central Asia.

Fabienne Van Den Eede, Deputy Head of Unit for Central Asia and Afghanistan at DG INTPA, explained: “Global Gateway is about building connections — within countries, across the region, and with the EU itself.” She stressed that skills and human capital are at the core of this agenda, supported by an investment package of €12 billion announced at the EU–Central Asia Summit in Samarkand in April this year.

 “Yet investments are only sustainable when they go hand in hand with education and workforce development,” she said.

Johannes Baur, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan, noted: “This region has historically been a bridge between Europe and Asia. Today, new corridors such as the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor (TCTC) can unlock this potential, but only if supported by a skilled workforce.” He echoed Van Den Eede’s remarks, emphasising that local capacity is essential to ensure EU investments are sustainable and deliver long-term benefits to Central Asian economies.

Erasyl Zhumanbayev, Director of the Workforce Development Center of Kazakhstan — co-host of another major DARYA event on skills development recently held in Astana — presented new projections for the transport sector. By 2035, Kazakhstan will need around 117,000 new specialists, while more than half of the current workforce will require reskilling.

“The relevance of skills in this sector is changing fast — from five years to barely two,” he said, adding that an ETF-supported survey in Kazakhstan’s automotive and logistics sectors has already helped identify key training priorities.

From the international financial institutions, Maud de Vautibault, Associate Director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), stressed that “skills are at the core of EBRD’s interventions, with a focus on inclusion, women and minorities.” 

In 2024 alone, the EBRD invested €2.26 billion across 121 projects in Central Asia, a new operational record, confirming the region’s strategic importance for sustainable growth and connectivity.

Looking ahead: one more day of policy discussions and peer-learning visits

The discussions will continue tomorrow with sessions focusing on regional skills partnerships and cooperation frameworks for the remaining phases of the DARYA project, which runs until 2027.

Later today, delegates will visit Apro Formazione, a regional centre of excellence in vocational education and training, and the globally renowned Ferrero factory in Alba — two examples of how Italian expertise connects local innovation with global learning.

As DARYA reached its mid-term, the Turin meeting already reaffirmed the programme’s growing role as a key platform for dialogue and cooperation between Europe and Central Asia. By connecting education, employment, and investment, DARYA is helping to shape a new generation of skills partnerships — transforming shared ambition into shared progress. In a region that is fast evolving and gaining strategic importance in global dynamics, DARYA stands as a model of how collaboration and evidence-based policymaking can turn potential into lasting impact.