Korea Polytechnic students bring vocational skills to Uzbekistan in K-TVET push

Students from Korea Polytechnic University are sharing their technical skills with local students in Uzbekistan as part of a broader effort to spread Korean-style technical and vocational education and training, known as K-TVET.

The university announced Thursday that it is running a technical volunteer program at Samarkand City No. 4 Technicum in Uzbekistan from June 29 through July 4 — a six-day, four-night trip.

The volunteer team consists of 10 people, including current students and faculty. They are running specialty education programs for local students while also repairing aging electrical equipment and making other improvements to the learning environment. A Korean cultural experience program has also been arranged to strengthen exchanges and ties between students from the two countries.

Samarkand City No. 4 Technicum is a vocational education institution built on a vocational training center established through South Korea's official development assistance program. Korea Polytechnic University signed an MOU with the institution in 2024, then established a joint vocational and technical education and training center last year. This year, the university is broadening the scope of cooperation by expanding into people-to-people exchanges through hands-on technical volunteer work by its own students.

"Having our students share their skills directly on the ground is the most vivid expression of what K-TVET is all about," said Lee Cheol-su, chairman of Korea Polytechnic University. "We will continue building sustainable, people-centered global vocational education partnerships."