Uzbekistan Proposes Career Centers at All Universities

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan’s National Agency for Education Quality Assurance has proposed establishing career centers at all universities in the country, regardless of ownership. A draft resolution has been published for public discussion.

Under the draft, career centers would begin operating at every university in Uzbekistan from 1 January 2027. Their activities would focus on improving graduates’ competitiveness in the labor market, providing systematic career guidance to students, organizing practical training and internships, and supporting employment.

The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation would be responsible for overseeing the establishment of career centers. From 2028, new private universities would be required to establish such a center no later than their second year of operation. Public universities would be required to establish career centers when they open.

University heads would also be required to conduct annual surveys of students, graduates and employers to assess the quality of career services. Separate work plans and key performance indicators (KPIs) would be established for the centers, along with a graduate monitoring system.

The draft also provides for training the heads and staff of career centers. The special program would cover career services and development strategies, labor market analysis and employment trends, career guidance technologies, cooperation with employers and corporate partnership development.

The program would also cover the integration of dual education, practical training and internships with the local labor market; work with digital career platforms LinkedIn, hh.uz and Inplatform; and individual counseling for students and graduates. Participants would be trained in resume writing, interview preparation, personal branding, psychological testing and the use of artificial intelligence in career counseling.

The program would last 144 hours, including 72 hours of online classes, 36 hours of offline classes and 36 hours of practical training.

After completing the training, participants would undergo a three-part assessment consisting of testing, a practical assignment and a project defense.

Under the draft, all positions at career centers should be filled by graduates of the program by September 2027.

Heads of career centers would be placed at the same salary level as deans. The centers would also have leading specialist positions at a rate of two staff positions per 3,000 students. Their salaries would correspond to the pay level of deputy deans.

To facilitate information exchange with employers, electronic systems of the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other relevant authorities would be integrated with the career.edu.uz platform. These institutions would also be required to provide career centers with data on employers’ staffing needs.

The draft also provides for developing financial support measures for private universities that establish career centers.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Tax Committee have been instructed to submit relevant proposals to the Cabinet of Ministers.

The draft resolution remains open for public discussion until 27 August.