Reform in Uzbekistan

Cooperation between WorldSkills Russia and Uzbekistan started in 2019 when the Republic's representatives took part in the 45th international professional excellence competition, WorldSkills Kazan 2019, and in business mission events at the competition sites, and also passed training in arranging competitions according to WorldSkills standards within the framework of the WorldSkills Hi-Tech 2019 competition in Yekaterinburg.

During the same year, within the framework of cooperation between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations of Uzbekistan, WorldSkills Russia acted as a partner in the implementation of the project Assistance for Youth Employment in Uzbekistan aimed at the popularisation of skilled professions and the improvement of standards for the development of skills, including that through a national competition in professional excellence and the implementation of a system of independent skill assessment.

WorldSkills Russia provided expert, methodological and organizational support for the Republic of Uzbekistan to join the WorldSkills International movement and to hold its first open competition according to WorldSkills standards.

Based on the results of the competition, the quality of training displayed by Uzbekistan's college graduates passed an independent assessment, an expert community was established in 10 competencies and expert training was arranged in Uzbekistan according to WorldSkills standards.

In the summer of 2020, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Association for development and popularisation of skilled professions in the Republic of Uzbekistan and WorldSkills Russia, aimed both at the scaling of the movement in the country and at the implementation of different joint projects and initiatives targeted at improving the quality of vocational education in the Republic of Uzbekistan and in the Russian Federation. One such initiative was the participation of competitors and experts from Uzbekistan in online/onsite events held by WorldSkills Russia, in particular in Future Skills Camp training, and in the Eurasian competition and business mission within the framework of the 8th WorldSkills Russia National Competition in 2020.

Implementation of the project Assistance to Youth Employment in Uzbekistan is continuing in 2021. Based on the project's implementation, a network of skill assessment and vocational education centres applying WorldSkills standards will be created in the country to serve as a basis for mass education. A network of partner colleges offering double skills passport for international acknowledgement of specialists will also be created .

Stages of joint activities

Within the first stage, the following initiatives were implemented under the management of WorldSkills Russia:

  • The implementation of the first elements of an independent skill assessment system;
  • launch of a Mono-Centre including the provision of services for employees going abroad, as well as a training centre;
  • the first Open Competition between Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia was arranged in December 2019;
  • assignments were developed by Russian experts; experts were trained according to WorldSkills standards; an independent WorldSkills assessment was implemented within the educational programme; and a plan for further development was plotted;
  • The business mission regarding the skills competitions: studying the best Russian practices in action;
  • establishment and development of a partner network; the arrangement of negotiations with companies, development institutions and the WorldSkills Academy before WorldSkills Kazan 2019.

The result of the first stage of the project was that Uzbekistan joined WorldSkills.

The second stage of cooperation includes the following projects:

  • creation of the centre for independent skill assessment;
  • establishment of an expert community;
  • development and implementation of a system of independent assessment and acknowledgement of skills based on the WorldSkills methodology with the subsequent issuance of a skills passport;
  • joint participation in international projects for the development of vocational training;
  • upgrading vocational and educational standards according to best international practices of WorldSkills;
  • joint practice sessions of national teams and preparation of both countries for participation in WorldSkills international competitions.

WorldSkills Russia will help form and train the Uzbekistan national team that will represent the Republic at the international professional excellence competition in Shanghai.