Annual Implementation Plan for Uzbekistan Youth Employment Skills (YES) Activity

Launched in January 2022, the five-year, $10 million activity is implemented by a consortium of partners, including American Councils for International Education as the lead organization, World Learning, StartUp Factory, Sharoit Plus, and Ergo Analytics. The activity focuses on equipping youth in Grades 8-11 with the necessary skills to enter Uzbekistan's economy as competent employees or entrepreneurs. The work addresses both school-based and after-school programs to ensure a successful school-to-work transition, while giving special attention to women, girls, and youth with disabilities. The activity has three main objectives: improving the quality of school-based economics and entrepreneurship programs, improving the quality of after-school entrepreneurship, soft skills, and work readiness programs, and strengthening the enabling environment to support and engage youth. To achieve Objective 1, the activity will partner with the Ministry of Pre-School and School Education (MoPSE) agencies and the private sector to update the curricula and teaching and learning materials used for Grades 8-11 entrepreneurship and economics instruction. The revised curricula will be tested in schools in the target pilot region in a randomized control trial. For Objective 2, the activity will continue strengthening its partnership with the MoPSE and private sector stakeholders, while also partnering with local government and community groups in the target pilot region. Private sector perspectives will be integrated into the development of curricula and programming, and the activity will cultivate and leverage private sector partnerships to create opportunities for hands-on training of youth through job shadowing and mentorship opportunities. Objective 3 focuses on building attitudes and corresponding behaviors conducive to youth, women, and girls, and people with disabilities entering the workforce. All activities under Objective 3 will target and support behavior change in four groups in the target pilot region: youth participants (Grades 8-11), parents, teachers/mentors, and employers. The activity will actively engage the private sector, from a diverse group of businesses, with a key focus on forging sustainable relationships and mechanisms for communication between the MoPSE and private sector actors, and on enacting policy or procedural-level change through targeted involvement with government. The activity began on January 3, 2022, and the period of performance is scheduled for five years, ending on December 31, 2026. The project will focus on active private sector engagement from a diverse group of businesses with a key focus on forging sustainable relationships and mechanisms for communication between the MoPSE and private sector actors, and on enacting policy or procedural level change through targeted involvement with government as appropriate. The Annual Implementation Plan for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) was developed through collaboration between American Councils and its international and local partners, as well as Government of Uzbekistan (GOU) stakeholders. Work planning for FY24 focused on moving beyond the research studies, curriculum development, and randomized control trial, and on implementing the revised curricula and programs in the target pilot region. The activity will be monitored and evaluated through the Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP), which will track progress towards the activity's objectives and outcomes. The activity will also engage in regular communication and outreach with stakeholders, including the private sector, to ensure that the activity is meeting the needs of the target population and to identify areas for improvement. The YES Activity is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through a Cooperative Agreement Number 72011522CA00001. The activity is implemented by a consortium of partners, including American Councils for International Education as the lead organization, World Learning, StartUp Factory, Sharoit Plus, and Ergo Analytics.