BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 27. Azerbaijan’s education system must be aligned with the changing needs of the labor market and economy, Deputy Minister of Science and Education Hasan Hasanli said at the opening ceremony of the IE Leadership and Innovation Center in Baku on Tuesday, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
According to him, efforts to train specialists with modern skills and expand cooperation with the private sector remain key priorities.
He said the rapid growth in the volume of information in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) is creating new challenges for the education system. Under these conditions, education needs both traditional approaches that support long-term development and flexible models that respond quickly to the changing needs of the economy and industry.
“There is a difference between an approach that involves waiting 10–15 years to produce better graduates and the fast, flexible approach required by industry, companies and the economy. Under current conditions, it is important to reconcile these two approaches,” the deputy minister said.
Hasanli noted that Azerbaijan has been implementing a series of measures since 2013 under the education development strategy approved by President Ilham Aliyev. According to him, the program has helped improve the quality and accessibility of education.
The deputy minister also referred to the results of international assessments, noting that Azerbaijan has made progress in education in recent years, particularly in subjects such as mathematics, which are important for various industries. He said the country’s performance in this area had approached the average levels of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
He stressed that sustained government efforts are helping develop a pool of talented young people whose potential can be further nurtured. To realize this potential, it is important to systematically develop their knowledge and skills and prepare them to become future leaders, managers and professionals.
Hasanli also highlighted changes in the higher education system. He said initiatives such as the Baku Higher Oil School, the French-Azerbaijani University (UFAZ), the Azerbaijan-Türkiye University and dual-degree programs play an important role in training highly qualified professionals.
According to the deputy minister, aligning education with labor market needs is impossible without close cooperation with the private sector. In this regard, partnerships with PASHA Holding, SOCAR, and other companies are particularly important.
“One of the main challenges is addressing the mismatch between labor market needs and the education system. Cooperation with the private sector makes it possible to identify these needs more accurately and acquire the relevant knowledge. The AI Hub platform was also established to ensure the continuity of this cooperation,” he said.
Hasanli added that a meeting of the steering committee had discussed initial projects being implemented jointly with IE University and the Ministry of Economy, the work of the observatory and other initiatives.
He said the main goal of the cooperation was to connect the potential developed through education with the real needs of the economy, accelerate the training of specialists equipped with modern technologies and expand the country’s innovation capacity.