Over half a million young and promising Uzbek specialists, poised to graduate from colleges across the country in several weeks’ time, will be trawling the jobs market.
According to the Ministry of Labor, 49,200 new jobs were created in Uzbekistan within three months, with upwards of 167,000 people securing employment. For the past period, 1,800 citizens have been taught vocations in demand in the market, while 252 people acquired skills of work in handicrafts.
In private entrepreneurship, 32,700 people were provided with jobs, 29,500 individuals joined small enterprises and micro firms, and 25,800 people, including women and people with disabilities, got home-based jobs.
Currently, the Ministry of Labor has been cooperating closely with the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education, since in a few months time a whole army of specialists, including the more than 477,700 graduates of professional colleges and academic lyceums, is going to obtain graduation diplomas.
The government bodies are wasting no time to undertake efforts to facilitate employment for graduates. The system of arranging production internships and eventual employment has been perfected. Starting from this year, agreements concluded are no longer trilateral; they are inked on four-party basis. The documents are signed by the administration of a vocational college, enterprises, the graduate as well as the hokim (mayor or governor). Thus, 466,400 (97.6%) graduates are assigned to 220,500 enterprises and organizations.
There are plans afoot to engage graduates in entrepreneurship. According to data of the Center for Secondary Special and Professional Education, soft loans worth 305 billion soums are projected to be allocated for 33,100 graduates of colleges and create more than 40,000 new jobs.
The employment of graduates has been facilitated by Education and Career Fairs that have taken place across the country. They were attended by over 286,100 young men and women, while 6,028 enterprises and organizations presented information on vacancies.