Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan plans to place two to three technical schools in each region under the management of major private businesses for 15 years, as part of efforts to expand private-sector involvement in vocational education and improve employment opportunities abroad. The plans were announced on 2 November at a meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on labour migration.
The president said demand for skilled workers in construction, industry and logistics was growing both domestically and internationally. However, the existing vocational training system was not yet fully meeting employers’ requirements.
To address this, the government plans to involve entrepreneurs more actively in managing technical schools and develop direct cooperation between educational institutions and foreign companies.
At least 30,000 specialists are expected to be trained annually at the institutions transferred to business management. Graduates should be ready to start work immediately after completing their courses and will receive state-standard qualification certificates.
As an example of private-sector involvement in workforce training, Mirziyoyev cited the Tashkent Pipe Plant in the capital’s Sergeli district. The company has proposed training 2,500 welders, electricians and mechanics annually with the involvement of its own experienced specialists.
Businesses to receive tax incentives for workforce training
The government plans to introduce tax and financial incentives to encourage businesses to participate in vocational education. Companies will be able to reduce their taxable base by deducting expenses related to specialist training and the provision of equipment for technical schools.
A grant system is also planned to reward organisations for each graduate successfully placed in a high-paying job abroad. The grant amounts and allocation procedures have not yet been specified.
Educational institutions will also work directly with foreign employers to train specialists according to the requirements of specific vacancies.
“I am confident that our leading entrepreneurs will help the state establish the brand of Uzbek specialists abroad,” Mirziyoyev said.
The president also instructed officials to select 20 technical schools within a month for their educational programmes to be adapted to the requirements of foreign employers from 2027. According to information presented at the meeting, major companies from Germany, Japan and South Korea are interested in having the specialists they need trained directly in Uzbekistan.
Mirziyoyev criticised the performance of the current vocational education system, calling for technical schools to deliver more practical results and for young people to acquire in-demand professional skills and foreign language proficiency before leaving school.
Two international recruitment companies planned for 2027
The meeting also focused on improving arrangements for placing Uzbek citizens in jobs abroad. Presidential Press Secretary Sherzod Asadov said Mirziyoyev had highlighted the growing role of major international recruitment companies in connecting employers with qualified specialists.
The president instructed officials to create conditions for such companies to operate in Uzbekistan, including allowing them to train specialists themselves and place them directly in jobs abroad. Two major international recruitment companies are expected to begin operating in the country in 2027.
The meeting was also informed that opportunities had been identified in 2026 for employing 287,000 Uzbek citizens in 34 countries.
At the same time, Mirziyoyev pointed to insufficient public awareness of available vacancies and problems in cooperation between the Migration Agency and representatives of the “mahalla seven” — a local community-level group of officials.
“That is why we will change this system as well. In migration matters, we need quality, not figures,” the president said.
He instructed officials to ensure that information about overseas vacancies reaches every mahalla. Each employer’s request must specify the country where workers are needed, qualification requirements, necessary language skills and available training opportunities.
The “mahalla seven” will inform residents about vacancies and enter details of those interested in working abroad into the Online Mahalla platform.
Regional governors and the relevant agencies will be responsible for organising vocational and language training for candidates and assisting with their subsequent employment. Regional governors will review progress monthly, while district heads will do so twice a month.
Earlier plans to expand private vocational education
The involvement of entrepreneurs in vocational education had also been discussed previously. In June 2026, the president reviewed proposals to expand private-sector vocational training.
At the time, plans were announced to increase the number of training and assessment centres operating under international standards from 50 to 200 over three years. The annual number of people covered by private vocational education was expected to rise from 45,000 to 500,000.
The proposals included revising more than 300 educational programmes, upgrading the skills of over 1,000 teachers and instructors, and allocating 500 billion soums from the Employment Fund.
Other proposed support measures for private training centres included preferential loans, partial compensation for equipment costs and the recruitment of foreign instructors, as well as the provision of vacant state-owned buildings.
