“Today, construction companies are facing a shortage of qualified personnel, despite the fact that there are vocational education institutions in the country that train specialists in this field. The main goal of our meeting is to establish closer links between businesses and vocational education institutions,” Minister of Infrastructure Revaz Sokhadze stated following the meeting between business representatives and vocational colleges.

Organized by the Ministry of Infrastructure, a working meeting was held with representatives of construction companies operating in Georgia and representatives of private and public vocational education institutions.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Infrastructure of Georgia Revaz Sokhadze, Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Youth Baia Kvitsiani, Head of the Vocational Education Development Department Tamar Kvinikadze, and representatives of the construction sector and vocational education institutions.

The main topic of the meeting was the shortage of qualified human resources in the construction sector and the need for close cooperation between the state, businesses, and the vocational education system to address this challenge, train qualified specialists, and support their employment.

As Revaz Sokhadze noted, amid the large-scale infrastructure projects currently underway and planned in Georgia, demand for qualified specialists is increasing significantly. According to him, during meetings held with construction companies in recent months, the shortage of qualified personnel was identified as one of the main challenges. Therefore, it is important that the vocational education system respond as closely as possible to the real needs of the labor market.

“The state fully finances vocational education and retraining programs, and there are a number of strong vocational colleges in Georgia that train specialists needed by the labor market. It is important for businesses to actively use this opportunity and strengthen direct cooperation with vocational education institutions,” he stated.

The Minister also highlighted that a new state-owned company is being established under the Ministry of Infrastructure, which will be responsible for introducing and managing a modern road maintenance system across the country. As a result, demand for qualified specialists will increase significantly.

The meeting also focused on planning joint steps with the Ministry of Education to make communication between construction companies and vocational education institutions more effective.

It was noted that the development of vocational education tailored to the needs of the construction sector, as well as continuous cooperation between the state, businesses, and educational institutions, will help reduce the shortage of qualified personnel, promote youth employment, support the successful implementation of the country’s infrastructure projects, and contribute to the long-term development of the construction sector.

“We have very ambitious infrastructure projects planned, and their successful implementation depends precisely on qualified human resources. I am confident that today’s meeting will promote effective cooperation between businesses and vocational education institutions, which will ultimately benefit both the sector and the country’s development,” the Minister noted.