Although the admission quota to universities has increased 4.5 times over the past seven years and the share of youth enrolled in higher education has reached 42 percent, the personnel training system still does not meet the real needs of the market.

For example, the BYD plant in Jizzakh has 100 vacancies, a quarter of which are for engineers in robotics, robot programming, and painting. As the plant reaches full capacity, the demand for qualified personnel will increase.

There is a significant gap between university training and employers’ requirements. As a result, enterprises have to hire specialists from abroad. At the same time, the state spends 25-30 million UZS annually on the education of one student. However, more than half of graduates work in low-skilled positions after receiving their diplomas.

In recent years, granting financial independence to 40 universities has increased the income of institutions in such fields as economics, law, medicine, foreign languages, and pedagogy. However, fields such as agriculture, veterinary science, engineering, and the exact and natural sciences remain unattractive to young people.

To enhance cooperation with industry, 25 engineering universities have established 438 departments based at enterprises. For example, educational and production clusters have been formed in the oil and gas sector. As a result, more than 2,000 graduates of the Bukhara Technical University have been employed in their specialty. The number of commercialized scientific developments has increased tenfold.

In the coming years, Uzbekistan plans to implement large-scale projects worth $83 billion, which will create demand for almost 500,000 specialists in the industrial sector alone.

For example, in the coming years, a large gas chemical complex is expected to be launched in Bukhara region. In Ustyurt, large-scale projects have been initiated in cooperation with foreign partners.

All this requires the accelerated adaptation of higher education to industry needs, improvement in the quality of personnel training, and expansion of support for youth employment.

At the meeting, the President presented several new initiatives.

From now on, the feasibility studies of projects worth at least $1 million and employing more than 50 people will specify the demand for specialists by field. Based on this, the relevant ministries and agencies will place targeted orders for personnel training at universities.

Rectors will introduce additional educational modules for students enrolled under such orders. Completion of these modules will earn credit points.

Starting from the second year, students’ knowledge will be assessed annually in cooperation with investors – potential employers. The topics of graduation theses will be determined in accordance with the project’s objectives. Graduates who meet the investors’ requirements will be guaranteed employment.

A system is being established to increase the private sector’s interest: entrepreneurs will receive additional points in the rating for hiring graduates. Universities will direct graduates to enterprises with open vacancies.

The issue of expanding the powers and responsibilities of rectors was also reviewed. The assessment system implemented at the New Uzbekistan University will be extended to all universities.

Universities will receive up to 40 points for the employment rate of graduates, up to 30 points for fulfilling sectoral orders and selling scientific developments, up to 20 points for scientific potential and publications in recognized international journals, and up to 10 points for attracting local and foreign grants. University funding will be determined based on the points earned.

A “School of Rectors” program will be created at the New Uzbekistan University to provide targeted training for candidates for rector and vice-rector positions.

All universities will be granted academic and organizational autonomy. In particular, rectors will be able to appoint their deputies independently, allocate staff positions within the established limit, and set differentiated tuition fees for super-contracts.

The responsible authorities have been instructed to ensure the fair and systematic implementation of these innovations.

The Head of State also put forward another important initiative.

Applicants already have the opportunity to choose up to five universities when submitting documents. This mechanism will now be expanded: if an applicant is not admitted to any of the chosen universities but their score meets the requirements of an unfilled program at another university, they may be admitted there on a contract basis.

Special attention was given to promoting the employment of 2025 graduates, whose number totals 92,000.

It is planned that 20,000 of them will continue their studies in master’s programs or acquire a second specialty, another 20,000 will be employed through the Ministry of Employment in positions not requiring work experience, and about 10,000 will be engaged through “business incubators” in the regions and employed in entrepreneurship, marketing, design, and IT.

Additional employment opportunities for young people were also outlined in various sectors, including chemistry, energy, geology, the automotive industry, metallurgy, textiles, electrical engineering, construction, transport, logistics, and the social sphere.

With the support of commercial banks, assistance will be provided to 20,000 graduates for launching their businesses. In particular, the National Bank and Aloqabank have been allocated $300 million to finance youth employment.

It is envisaged that part of these preferential loans will also be made available to enterprises hiring graduates. Such entrepreneurs will be granted loans of up to 5 billion UZS at an interest rate of 18 percent. The new system will apply not only to this year’s graduates but also to those who have completed university within the past three years.

It was emphasized that special attention should be paid to supporting unorganized youth by engaging them in productive activities such as vocational and language clubs, sports events, and patriotic initiatives.

Following the meeting, the opinions of responsible officials, rectors, and entrepreneurs were heard.