Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Representatives of the European Union and the five Central Asian countries will meet in Ashgabat on 13–14 October to discuss training specialists for the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor and aligning skills development with regional investment projects. The meeting will take place as part of the fifth session of the High-Level Group of the EU-funded DARYA project, the European External Action Service reported.
The event will bring together deputy ministers and other senior officials responsible for education and labour from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Participants are also expected to include the EU Special Representative for Central Asia, Eduards Stiprais, representatives of the European Commission, EU delegations in the region, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), EU member states, businesses and industry organisations.
The main focus will be on developing the professional skills needed to implement investment projects in transport connectivity. Participants will consider how workforce training can ensure long-term economic and social returns from investment, including through job creation and expanded opportunities for young people.
European Training Foundation (ETF) Director Pilvi Torsti said countries in the region needed to move from exchanging experience to aligning approaches to qualifications and building an evidence base on skills. Transport infrastructure, she said, could deliver sustainable benefits only if trained specialists were available to operate and maintain it, and if qualifications were mutually understood across countries.
The DARYA project, or “Dialogue and Action for Resourceful Youth in Central Asia,” is funded by the EU with €10 million and implemented by the European Training Foundation. It aims to develop inclusive skills systems that respond to labour-market needs and strengthen regional dialogue on education policy. The High-Level Group provides an annual forum for representatives of Central Asian governments to discuss these issues.
Results of the DARYA project
Since 2022, the project has supported reforms in education and employment systems across the region. Working groups from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have developed six prototypes of cross-country occupational profiles, including for truck drivers and warehouse logistics specialists. Countries can use them as voluntary reference points when developing national standards and training programmes.
In another area of work, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan are jointly studying future skills and occupational needs related to improving energy efficiency in the residential sector. Each country retains its own data and analytical findings.
Some project tools are already being applied at the national level. In Kyrgyzstan, a 2026 government decision provides for labour-market research to be conducted every three years using a methodology supported by DARYA. In Kazakhstan, the Labour Resources Development Centre is expanding its enterprise skills survey, while Turkmenistan has begun work on introducing national qualification standards with the project’s support.
Another area of focus is training teachers and trainers. Through the SCAFFOLD programme, cascade training in general competencies has reached thousands of educators across Central Asia. DARYA also supports exchanges with European Centres of Vocational Excellence. The meeting will feature the experience of Dutch educational institution Noorderpoort, which participates in the Hydrogen CoVE consortium.
Skills for the Trans-Caspian Corridor
Transport connectivity is one of four regional priorities under the EU’s Global Gateway investment agenda for Central Asia. At the first EU–Central Asia summit, held in Samarkand in April 2025, an investment package worth €12 billion was announced.
The Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor is a key part of this agenda. European and international financial institutions have pledged to mobilise €10 billion for its development. In October 2024, a platform to coordinate investment along the route was launched in Ashgabat. One example of the transition from financial commitments to project implementation is the planned modernisation of Kazakhstan’s Port of Aktau with EBRD involvement.
According to the ETF, the development of ports, railways and border crossings requires specialists capable of planning transport operations, managing infrastructure and ensuring its technical maintenance.
From November 2026 and throughout 2027, the foundation plans to analyse skills needs and the availability of education and training programmes in Central Asia’s transport and logistics sectors. Based on the findings, it will prepare recommendations for developing vocational training in the industry.
Regional roadmap
Participants will also consider a draft Regional Skills Roadmap. The document envisages voluntary cooperation between countries on qualifications, sharing data on labour-market needs and organising vocational training. Transport and logistics could become the first sector in which this approach is applied.
The discussions are expected to help define the next steps in cooperation between the EU and Central Asian countries, taking into account regional priorities and investment in the transport corridor. All subsequent measures will be voluntary and implemented within the countries’ respective national mandates.
