COOPERATION – A TOOL FOR IMPROVEMENT OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING

PAS No 254
August 26, 2009

The meeting participants are discussing the results of youth vocational training program

Ashgabat, August 26, 2009 – The U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Turkmenistan Community Empowerment Program (TCEP) organized a meeting today on youth vocational training issues in partnership with the Union of Entrepreneurs and Industrialists.  Participants, including government officials, teachers, vocational school graduates from four provinces, and representatives of the European Union’s TEMPUS Program and Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA), discussed the project's achievements related to youth vocational training and the promotion of youth economic activities in rural areas.

The meeting also focused on the importance of cooperation between vocational establishments and employers in order to upgrade the level of training and update their curricula to meet current labor market demands. 

Participants emphasized that youth vocational training plays an important role in supporting the stated national priority of training highly professional specialists that can contribute to a dynamically developing national economy.  Youth that have gained solid vocational skills will be a valuable workforce for rural development.  The young people noted that high-quality training in demand-driven specialties was a guarantee of social and economic stability and confidence in the future.

The Turkmenistan Community Empowerment Program, implemented by Counterpart International, is one of the many activities made possible by the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  Since 1993, the American people through USAID have provided more than $80 million in programs that support Turkmenistan’s economic growth, social sector, and community initiatives.