New opportunities will be created for young people

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On April 11, a video conference on measures to improve the effectiveness of work carried out in the field of youth policy was held under the chairmanship of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

There are more than 19 million young people under the age of 30 in our country, they make up 55 percent of the population. Now 600 thousand young people enter the labor market every year, and in the next 10 years this number will reach 1 million.

Therefore, special attention is paid to ensuring high-quality education, vocational training and employment of young people. To organize these works, a vertical management system was created at the mahalla level. From among the selfless and initiative boys and girls, youth leaders have been appointed in 9,5 thousand mahallas. Through this system, more than 100 opportunities have been created for young people, targeted support has been established.

For example, last year alone, loans worth 4 trillion soums were allocated for youth entrepreneurship, 150 thousand projects were launched, 325 thousand jobs were created. 43 thousand hectares of cultivated land have been allocated and 435 thousand young people have been employed. At the expense of subsidies, more than 32 thousand purchased equipment, tools and computers.

Significant work is also being done in the field of social support. In particular, last year, 1,7 trillion soums of educational loans were issued to 130 thousand students, and the training of women in the magistracy became free. 53 thousand low-income students were provided with financial assistance to pay for a training contract, 15 thousand young people - to cover the costs associated with military service, 13 thousand - to study a foreign language. Compensation was provided for the payment of housing rent to 81 thousand students. Through the "Youth Notebook", 300 thousand young people received assistance in the amount of about 600 billion soums.

But there are still many urgent issues in the sphere that need to be resolved. Today, there are officially 722 thousand unemployed young people in the country.

In order to organize more accurate and targeted work with young people, a study of 9 million young people aged 14 to 30 years was conducted. At the same time, for the first time, the data of 25 ministries and departments are integrated into a single database. The social status, abilities and interests are investigated, measures for the implementation of the mechanism of work "from the mahalla to the ministry" are determined.

At the meeting, priority attention was paid to the problems of unemployed youth, as well as young people employed in the informal sector or who went abroad to work. The Head of our state has put forward a number of new initiatives in this direction.

In particular, it was emphasized that in order to ensure youth employment, it is necessary first of all to revise the employment system.

For example, there are currently 254 thousand vacancies in more than 103 thousand organizations. However, last year more than 6 thousand boys and girls who graduated from higher educational institutions and 30 thousand boys and girls who graduated from colleges and technical schools could not find a job.

In this regard, from now on, each ministry will determine the qualification requirements for professions in the supervised industries. Also, the ministries will not only give orders for personnel training in institutions of higher and secondary specialized education, but also jointly develop training programs with them.

As you know, in 2021, the practice of returning social tax to enterprises that hired young people under the age of 25 was introduced. Over the past period, more than 9 thousand enterprises have taken advantage of this opportunity and 100 thousand young people have been employed. The Head of our state gave instructions to extend the effect of the preference for another two years.

It was decided to create a foundation and an electronic platform "Youth Initiatives of New Uzbekistan". The Fund will be allocated $ 100 million, which will go to the best ideas, startups and projects of talented youth on convenient and preferential terms, if necessary, without interest accrual.

Creative parks will also be created in the regions based on the experience of IT parks. They will be covered by the benefits and preferences provided to residents of IT parks.

It is noted that when allocating funds from the Youth Notebook Fund, priority should be given to vocational training and employment. In this regard, it was decided to create the possibility of simultaneous use of several related services through the fund.

Young people in need of state support will be assigned by name to each minister, his deputy, the khokim of regions, districts and cities, the head of the sector, the rector, the commander of the National Guard and military units. They will support vocational training and employment of the wards, help them in obtaining loans, subsidies and guarantees.

The meeting also considered the issues of meaningful organization of free time for young people.

In a recent survey conducted among more than 100,000 young people, respondents indicated a lack of opportunities for sports and entertainment.

In this regard, the task was set to organize round-the-clock youth parks, at the first stage in regional centers, and later in districts. They will create conditions for sports, esports and intellectual games, reading, karaoke. Also, youth festivities, streets of creativity, as well as sports leagues, coworking and theater studios at universities will be organized in each district.

Today, 1.5 million young people devote their free time to learning a foreign language. To further stimulate this interest of young people, subsidies will be allocated for language learning in private centers.

The meeting identified a number of tasks for equipping clubs in schools and supporting coaches, improving the efficiency of the children's centers "Barkamol Avlod". The "Olympiad of Professions" will be held among young people.

In the current era of globalization, threats to the education and consciousness of young people are increasing. Our ancestor, educator Abdullah Avloni noted: "The happiness of every nation depends on the good upbringing of young people."

However, it was noted at the meeting that the coverage and effectiveness of spiritual and educational activities are insufficient, while the interests of young people are not taken into account.

In this regard, it was instructed to improve the activities of the Center for Spirituality and Enlightenment, to increase content aimed at protecting young people from ideological threats.

In general, the program "Youth of New Uzbekistan" and amendments to legislation will be developed for the effective organization of state policy in this area.

The President stressed that working with young people is the most important task of all leaders, the general public, and our entire society.

Reports of ministers and khokims were heard on the issues discussed at the meeting.