Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan plans to create an additional 500,000 jobs in the digital economy by 2030 by expanding digital education and training specialists for emerging technology fields.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed plans to develop the digital education ecosystem. The previously announced target of creating 300,000 jobs in the IT sector by 2030 was achieved this year, prompting plans to generate a further 500,000 jobs.
To support continued industry growth, the government proposes establishing an integrated system that combines youth training, professional skills certification and employment assistance. Under the plans, 5.5 million young people are expected to receive training through traditional and distance-learning formats by 2030.
For school students, Uzbekistan plans to expand the “Heirs of Al-Khwarizmi” and “Five Million Artificial Intelligence Leaders” initiatives, while combining the resources of universities and private training centres. Mirziyoyev set a target of training 1 million young people annually in robotics, computer game development, startup creation and other promising fields.
To achieve this, the country plans to train national instructors, accelerate the launch of online platforms and short-term digital skills courses, and expand scientific research and the practical application of its results.
Modernising university programmes
The presentation also focused on updating university curricula to reflect technological changes and labour market needs.
Proposals include expanding training in artificial intelligence, microchip design, unmanned technologies and computer game development, as well as increasing student participation in practical projects.
Plans were also reviewed to upgrade the AI skills of computer science teachers and introduce a certification process.
Students are expected to gain broader access to international courses in digital technologies.
Proposals to establish iOS developer training centres based on experience in Ferghana and train mentors for private education centres were approved.
Bringing education closer to scientific research and engineering development is another key component of the proposed ecosystem.
Universities are expected to train specialists in embedded systems, microelectronics and the Internet of Things, while supporting engineering projects and research laboratories.
Linking digital skills to employment
The government plans to develop the “Digital Youth” platform to help young people find jobs. It will bring together information on users’ education, professional skills, language proficiency and certificates.
Using this information, users will be able to identify suitable vacancies, while the system will track employment outcomes.
Another priority is attracting international technology companies to support digital education development.
Last year, Uzbekistan secured $22 million in grants for these purposes. The government has set a target of increasing grant funding to $60 million by the end of this year and $100 million by 2030.
Half of the grant funding attracted this year will be allocated to digital education. The remainder is intended to support professional development, establish digital education centres in remote regions and equip them with modern facilities for training in artificial intelligence, robotics and programming.
Mirziyoyev stressed that the results of digital education should be assessed not only by the number of people trained but also by the quality of their training and its impact on employment.
Officials were instructed to meet the targets through specific programmes, expand access to training in the regions and strengthen cooperation with the private sector and international partners.
The presentation also included an update on efforts to organise the operations of the International Digital Technologies Centre.