DRESDEN, December 23. /Dunyo IA/. Uzbekistan and Germany have reached a set of important agreements aimed at taking bilateral cooperation in education and the labour market to a qualitatively new level, during the international “bsw-Forum: Fachkräfte” held in the capital of the German state of Saxony, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

The forum brought together Michael Kretschmer, Minister-President of Saxony, Dilshod Akhatov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Germany, Jamil Maksudi, Advisor to the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan as well as representatives of leading business associations, educational institutions and industrial enterprises from both countries.

Opening the event, Saxony’s Minister-President, Michael Kretschmer highlighted the strategic importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation specifically in the field of workforce training.

“Training internationally competitive specialists is today the most effective response to the shortage of skilled labour in Saxony’s economy. At the same time, it offers young people from Uzbekistan attractive opportunities to acquire professions and build successful careers”, - he said.

Kretschmer underscored the central role of the Educational Centre of the Saxon Economy (Bildungswerk der Sächsischen Wirtschaft – bsw) in vocational training and the subsequent employment of young professionals, noting that Government of the Free State of Saxony stands ready to provide financial support for training programmes and to expand long-term cooperation with Uzbekistan through the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (Industrie- und Handelskammer – IHK).

For his part, Ambassador Dilshod Akhatov emphasised that cooperation between Uzbekistan and Germany has been developing steadily across a wide range of areas, including education and migration. In his remarks, the diplomat placed particular emphasis on the strong potential for joint initiatives aimed at introducing a dual education system and training highly qualified personnel.

Uzbek delegation presented an overview of ongoing reforms in the country’s vocational education system, efforts to prepare young people in line with international labour market requirements and the growing role of the private sector in improving the quality of education.

One of the key outcomes of the event was the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Educational Centre of the Saxon Economy (bsw) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan on the implementation of the “CORE” project - “Opportunities, reforms and capacity building”.

The project is scheduled for 2026–2028 and will be implemented with the support of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung – BMZ).

The CORE project envisages cooperation in strengthening the institutional capacity of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan, improving support mechanisms for small and medium-sized enterprises, promoting women’s entrepreneurship, introducing export-oriented services and digital solutions, and expanding the training of skilled personnel through dual education models.

The leadership of bsw highlighted the active engagement and consistent support of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Germany, describing it as a key factor in the successful launch of the initiative.

At the conclusion of the visit, the parties agreed on a detailed “roadmap” for the project’s implementation, outlining concrete steps for the development of B2B online platforms and the creation of new opportunities for business communities in both countries.