President Shavkat Mirziyoyev led a meeting on February 23 to address the topic of ensuring employment for young people.
The state places high importance on the well-being of youth through its strong social policies. Efforts are made to provide quality education, train them in various professions, and support their initiatives. The “Youth Employment Program” is implemented in every community, along with events such as the “Olympiad of Five Initiatives”, “Caravan of Culture”, and various festivals.
The State Program for the implementation of the Uzbekistan – 2030 Strategy in the Year of Support for Youth and Business was approved by the President’s decree on February 21 this year. It sets out several objectives to address the challenges faced by young people and help them realize their potential, including providing employment opportunities through training in high-demand professions.
This year, the goal is to employ 925,000 young men and women, as well as 300,000 graduates from colleges, technical schools, and higher education institutions.
The meeting discussed issues related to employment, training young people in modern professions, and encouraging them to become entrepreneurs.
It was announced that additional opportunities will be created for youth in the business sector. At least 40% of loans provided under the family entrepreneurship program will be allocated for this purpose. Competitions such as “Young Entrepreneur” will be held, and winners with the best business projects and ideas will have the chance to improve their skills abroad.
Officials in charge shared plans to employ 100,000 young people in new industrial projects, 150,000 in the service sector, and 200,000 through the legalization of jobs and self-employment.
Digital technology is a promising field for young people, and the state program includes a project called “Two programmers from each mahalla”. Additionally, 70,000 young people are expected to be employed in the information technology sector.
The meeting emphasized the importance of identifying capable young individuals and assisting them in studying IT and foreign languages. Appropriate instructions were given to local leaders.
Through the “Ibrat Farzandlari” project of the Youth Agency, one million children will receive free foreign language education. Unused school facilities will be offered for free to foreign language tutors and training centers. 100 private education centers in rural areas with high student achievement will receive reimbursement for their rental costs for up to 6 months.
Young people who complete private courses and obtain a C1 level certificate will be reimbursed for their training expenses. For those who obtain a B2 level certificate in German, French, Korean, Japanese, or Chinese, the costs of obtaining the certificate will be covered. Another new initiative is that the cost of the certificate exam and six months of tuition fees will be covered.
The “Ustoz” project aims to train 250,000 young people in 30 modern professions, including marketing, advertising, e-commerce, and IT design.
There are many opportunities for employment in the agricultural sector. In recent years, 200,000 hectares of land previously used for cotton and grain crops have been distributed to the population for farming. This year, an additional 60,500 hectares of land will be allocated to young people.
The meeting discussed a new procedure for effectively distributing land. District leaders will allocate plots in areas with good water supply, and the “mahalla of seven” will determine how much land to allocate to each young person. Those who receive land will be trained in growing high-yield export crops at the Agrobank Farmers School. Subsidies will be provided from the Youth Notebook Fund and the Farmers Fund for the purchase of mini-equipment, seeds, and seedlings. Young farmers will work with exporters and processing companies, and loans of up to 2 billion UZS will be available for fruit and vegetable cooperatives.
The meeting also reviewed the implementation of the President’s decree “On additional measures to improve the procedure for leasing agricultural land plots” issued on January 18 this year. The decree states that 15,626 hectares of agricultural land in 156 districts will be auctioned online.
The President stressed the importance of allocating these lands in areas close to populated areas, with good water supply and fertility, for growing export-oriented crops through cooperation. Local leaders were tasked with expanding efforts to develop land and create jobs.
Reports were heard from responsible individuals at the meeting.
UzA