Evaluation: Programme Professional Education and Training in Central Asia

The project targeted the enhancement of vocational education in Central Asia's food industry, aiming to address prevalent challenges such as underfunding and outdated teaching methodologies. Through a multi-level approach involving regional policy dialogues, private sector collaborations, and infrastructure support for educational institutions, the project sought to elevate education systems and introduce innovative courses in food production technology. Despite certain identified weaknesses, including varying degrees of academic autonomy between countries and unclear design concepts for technology centers, the project exhibited success in fostering regional networks and augmenting educational capacities.

Key Points:

• The evaluation focused on the implementation of the GIZ project "Professional Education and Training in Central Asia" (PBBZ) from November 2016 to February 2019.
• The project aimed to improve vocational education in Central Asia's food industry, addressing issues like underfunding and outdated teaching methods.
• A multi-level approach was adopted, involving regional policy dialogues, private sector collaborations, and infrastructure support for educational institutions.
• The project's objectives included enhancing education systems and introducing new courses in food production technology.
• Despite identified weaknesses such as varying academic autonomy between countries and unclear design concepts for technology centers, the project succeeded in building regional networks and boosting educational capacities.

Recommendations:

• Improve equipment provision and accompany it with specific training to maximize utilization.
• Strengthen collaboration among partner countries, particularly focusing on Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, to ensure regional harmonization.
• Enhance knowledge management and internal learning processes to capitalize on past experiences and avoid repeated mistakes.
• Increase the involvement of national coordinators in project management decisions to facilitate closer relations with partners at the national level.
• Enhance monitoring and utilize generated data for project steering and management, possibly through the development of a project results model or Theory of Change.
• Continue capacity building efforts at the regional level, emphasizing practical orientation and relevance to labor market needs.
• Reevaluate the sustainability of technology centers and consider eliminating them if no self-sustaining model is feasible.
• Continue and strengthen regional dialogue and working group activities to support effective communication and project ownership.
• Foster communication with other organizations in the sector through donor coordination platforms or networks to avoid overlap and promote collaboration.