Annual Implementation Plan for Uzbekistan Youth Employment Skills (YES) Activity FY2023

The activity 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 work focuses on three 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 these objectives, the activity will partner with the Ministry of Public Education of Uzbekistan (MOPE) agencies and the private sector to update curricula and teaching and learning materials used for Grades 8-11. The activity will implement several outcomes to achieve Objective 1: Improved Quality of School-Based Economics and Entrepreneurship Programs. Outcome 1.1 aims to improve the quality and relevance of school-based curricula, teaching and learning materials, and assessments. Activity 1.1.3, Student Assessments, will involve developing and implementing assessments to measure student learning outcomes. Expected results include the development and distribution of teaching and learning materials and teacher guides to the pilot region for Grades 8 and 11. Outcome 1.2, Improved Effectiveness of Teaching Instruction in Classrooms, will focus on improving teacher training and retraining. Activity 1.2.2, Teacher Training and Retraining, will provide training to teachers on updated curricula and teaching methods. Activity 1.2.3, Teacher Training Curriculum and Materials, will develop a teacher training curriculum and materials to support teacher training. Activity 1.2.4, Teacher Support and Mentoring, will provide ongoing support and mentoring to teachers to ensure effective implementation of updated curricula. The activity will also implement several outcomes to achieve Objective 2: Improved Quality of After-School Entrepreneurship, Soft Skills, and Work Readiness Programs. Outcome 2.1, Materials that Facilitate Active Engagement and Practical Experience Developed, will involve developing materials for after-school programs that facilitate active engagement and practical experience. Activity 2.1.1, Participatory After-School Curriculum Review and Development of Piloting Strategy, will involve reviewing and developing after-school curricula and piloting strategies. Activity 2.1.2, Local Adaptation of WorkLinks Skills and Values Assessment, will adapt the WorkLinks Skills and Values Assessment to the local context. Activity 2.1.3, Develop After-School Curriculum and TLMs, will develop after-school curricula and teaching and learning materials. Outcome 2.2, Enhanced Teaching Capacity of After-School Mentors, will focus on improving the teaching capacity of after-school mentors. Activity 2.2.1, Mentor Training and Support, will provide training and support to after-school mentors to enhance their teaching capacity. Outcome 2.3, Increased Opportunity for Mentorship and Job Shadowing, will focus on increasing opportunities for mentorship and job shadowing for after-school program participants. Activity 2.3.1, Mentorship and Job Shadowing Program, will establish a mentorship and job shadowing program to provide after-school program participants with opportunities for mentorship and job shadowing. The activity will also implement several outcomes to achieve Objective 3: Strengthened Enabling Environment to Support and Engage Youth. Outcome 3.1, Strengthened Partnerships and Collaborations, will focus on strengthening partnerships and collaborations with government agencies, private sector organizations, and civil society organizations to support and engage youth. Activity 3.1.1, Partnership Development and Strengthening, will involve developing and strengthening partnerships with government agencies, private sector organizations, and civil society organizations. The activity will also conduct monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities to track progress and identify areas for improvement. The activity will conduct a randomized controlled trial evaluation study to assess the effectiveness of the activity. Quarterly database spot checks will be conducted to ensure data quality and accuracy. The activity will also establish a communication and outreach strategy to engage stakeholders and promote the activity's goals and objectives. The activity will be implemented over a five-year period, from January 2022 to December 2026, with a budget of $10 million. The activity will be implemented in Uzbekistan, with a focus on the following geographic areas: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, and Fergana. The activity will be implemented by the American Councils for International Education, with subrecipient partners including World Learning, ERGO Analytics, StartUp Innovation, Sharoit Plus, and Cooperative Agreement Number 72011522CA00001.