Upskilling in Turkmenistan

The Law of Turkmenistan on Education, issued in a new version in 2021 and amended in 2023 and 2025, treats lifelong learning as an educational goal and principle. It distinguishes advanced training, which deepens or updates existing professional skills, from retraining, which prepares a person for a new occupation or qualification. Programs may take place once, continuously or in stages. Their form and duration depend on the program and, where applicable, the education agreement. The authorized executive body in education approves programs. Local executive bodies, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population, employers, education and scientific institutions, the Academy of Civil Service under the President, the National Institute of Education and licensed organizations also have roles. State institutions may provide programs without a license. Non-state providers need a license, and state accreditation is required when they issue a state-recognized document. Formal courses can be full-time, part-time or employment-based. Other forms include self-education, external study, e-learning and distance learning. Distance formats are especially relevant to teaching staff in sparsely populated or remote areas. Employers may organize in-house preparation, retraining and upskilling according to employment or collective agreements. Sectoral and international cooperation courses also exist. The employment service provides unemployed people and jobseekers with free advice, career guidance, professional preparation, retraining and advanced training under the legal framework. Employment and placement services are provided without charge and are financed from the state budget, while the financing of a particular course depends on the program and case. There is no publicly documented national schedule of all eligible courses, fees or support amounts. Employers determine their staff-development needs, the form of training and its conditions within the applicable employment or collective agreement. The employer is expected to provide time and opportunities for professional development. Training may be linked to promotion, pay or changes in work duties. If an employee breaches the agreement without a valid reason after employer-funded training, the employer may seek reimbursement of the relevant costs under the applicable contractual rules. Teaching staff have a professional right to competence development and an ongoing duty to improve their skills. The National Institute of Education and cooperation with foreign universities support teacher development and retraining. Digital and ICT skills have received particular attention in recent UNESCO-IITE analysis, but the recommendations do not create a general right to participate in a specific course. For civil servants in the 2026/27 Academy of Civil Service offering, retraining is listed at two academic years and advanced training for civil servants at five months. Commercial arbitration courses last four months, while courses for local executive bodies, local self-government and Halk Maslahaty are listed at two months; specialist courses may last up to two months. Some places are fee-based. The exact admission conditions and available places depend on the published program and agreement. Ashgabat has been a UNESCO Learning City since 2025, with more than 50 educational institutions and flexible adult-learning formats. This is a city-level initiative and does not demonstrate identical access throughout Turkmenistan. Public statistics identify participation in formal and non-formal education through SDG indicator 4.3.1, but the current rate, national provider coverage and typical costs are not presented in a complete public overview. Upskilling should therefore be checked against the responsible provider, the program terms, the recognition status of the final document and the funding arrangement.