- Tajikistan approves a nationwide Vocational Education Development Program for 2026–2029 to bridge the growing skills gap.
- The $400 million initiative will modernize schools, digitize teaching, train educators, and align curricula with industry needs.
- The program emphasizes practical, hands-on training, youth and women’s inclusion, and aims to create a skilled workforce for over 1.25 million expected new jobs.
The Government of Tajikistan has approved an ambitious Vocational Education Development Program for 2026-2029, a nation-wide effort aimed at closing the country's expanding skills gap and aligning its training systems with the demands of a modern and fast-growing economy. With Tajikistan's population projected to surpass 11 million by 2026 and the labor force expected to grow by more than 276,000 people, the government is under increased pressure to prepare a workforce capable of meeting the needs of emerging industries.
By 2029, over 1.25 million jobs are expected to be created within the economy, yet the already existing vocational education network is not in a position to provide enough qualified specialists. In 2023, only 4.8% of the over 272,000 school graduates enrolled in initial vocational education, which shows how urgent structural reforms are.
The government has committed 400 million somonis to program implementation; more than half of this funding is provided by the state budget. Investment supports widespread digitization, development of modern teaching materials, professional training of educators, and significant updates of vocational schools and colleges, from renovating outdated buildings to fitting out classrooms and laboratories with modern technology.
Today, there are 66 institutions for initial vocational education and 86 for secondary vocational education in Tajikistan. Most of these suffer from deteriorated facilities, lack of digital infrastructure, and shortages of qualified teaching staff. Only about half of these have access to the internet, and only 37 percent of computers in colleges are connected to internal networks, severely limiting the integration of technology into teaching and learning.
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The newly approved program will update and standardize curricula to introduce competency-based and dual training approaches for more accurately reflecting actual industry needs. Enhancement of close partnership between employers and educational institutions forms a core element of the reform: specialized training paths must be more practical and hands-on, aligned with the needs of the labor market. Parallel to this, inclusiveness, especially increasing opportunities for youth and women to enroll in vocational education leading to employable skills, is highly emphasized in this program.
The main elements of the reform involve the creation of electronic libraries, the improvement of practical training platforms, a systematic teacher development program, and overall institutional infrastructure-from modern laboratories and workshops to student dorms. At the end of the program period, the Government expects that Tajikistan's vocational education system would operate on revised regulatory foundations, better material, technical resources, and an integrated information system designed for tracking workforce trends and needs.
The program also intends to attract foreign investment for further boosts in the sector. In general, this initiative is presented as a fundamental stage toward creating a skilled and competitive workforce able to ensure long-term economic development in Tajikistan.
