USAID/Central Asia’s Turkmenistan New Generation Activity | 72011520R00004

Opportunity Information: Apply for 72011520R00004

USAID/Central Asia issued a Request for Information (RFI) for the proposed "Turkmenistan New Generation Activity" (RFI No. 72011520R00004). This notice is not a funding solicitation or an application process. Instead, USAID is gathering practical input from organizations and individuals with experience in youth and workforce development so that outside expertise can shape the design of a future activity. USAID makes clear that responding does not create any obligation for the U.S. Government to release a later solicitation, fund an activity, or reimburse any costs associated with preparing an RFI response. The RFI was issued on September 29, 2020, and responses were due October 14, 2020 at 10:00 AM Almaty time, submitted by email to USAID/Central Asia contacts listed in the notice.

The activity being designed is intended as a follow-on to the earlier "Turkmenistan Enriching Youth for Tomorrow" project, which provided life planning, economic knowledge, and business skills training for youth ages 15 to 25. The new effort would continue focusing on Turkmenistani youth in the same age range, but with an emphasis on employability fundamentals that align with a modern labor market. USAID highlights several core skill areas it wants young people to gain: foundational coping skills, critical and logical thinking, and improved familiarity with information and digital technology, all aimed at helping youth secure gainful employment.

USAID frames the need for the activity around persistent youth unemployment (citing World Bank youth unemployment data) and systemic mismatches between what Turkmenistan's education and training systems provide and what the economy and private sector actually need. The RFI also points to additional barriers such as limited recognition or accreditation of international degrees, which can leave students who studied abroad unable to translate education into local employment. These challenges contribute to "brain drain" and weaken the ability of the private sector to compete internationally. USAID underscores the demographic urgency: with about 40 percent of the population under 25, Turkmenistan has a large cohort whose economic and social potential could be lost if institutions fail to equip them with 21st-century skills.

To guide responses, USAID lists detailed questions in two main areas: skills development, and partnership/local institutional capacity building. On skills development, USAID asks respondents to identify geographic considerations and constraints that could affect implementation and targeting inside Turkmenistan, and to highlight specific gaps in skills development that are worth investing in. Respondents are also asked to explain why there is a disconnect between current training offerings and private-sector hiring needs, and to describe short-term and mid-term employment opportunities for youth. A significant portion of the RFI focuses on IT and digital skills, requesting examples of youth-focused interventions that have proven successful in Turkmenistan or similar contexts, and asking how USAID could support short- or long-term IT certification pathways (for example, CISCO or ORACLE-type programs) that lead to internationally recognized credentials for secondary school graduates.

The RFI also probes what apprenticeship options currently exist in Turkmenistan and whether they can be strengthened across public and private sectors. USAID invites analysis of gaps in existing apprenticeship models and other work-based learning opportunities that could be introduced. Another major theme is inclusion: respondents are asked to propose approaches to ensure marginalized and vulnerable youth are meaningfully included in workforce development programming, to identify which groups may face the biggest barriers in Turkmenistan, and to provide examples of inclusion strategies from Turkmenistan or countries with similar political and economic environments.

On partnerships and capacity building, USAID requests recommendations for national, regional, and local institutions that could be effective partners, including any geographic considerations tied to those institutions. It also asks how to collaborate with higher education institutions beyond the typical "career guidance and growth centers" model, and what specific skills development areas could be built within or alongside universities and institutes. Another question focuses on building the ability of rural, peri-urban, and urban organizations and small businesses to deliver skills training, entrepreneurship training, and mentorship to youth, which signals interest in strengthening local delivery capacity rather than relying solely on external implementers. Finally, USAID asks which Turkmenistani unions might be relevant partners in workforce development, why partnership with them could be useful, and what political or operational challenges USAID might face in such collaboration.

From a submission standpoint, USAID set a strict formatting and content expectation: responses could be no more than four pages including any annexes or attachments, and respondents did not need to answer every question. Submissions were expected to include identifying information such as the reference number, date, affiliation/organization, business address, and a representative name and email, followed by a short technical narrative responding to selected questions and offering recommendations. USAID emphasizes that it will confirm receipt electronically but will not provide feedback, will not accept applications or resumes through the RFI channel, and will not make responses public. The overall intent is to collect grounded, field-informed perspectives that USAID may incorporate into the final design of a future cooperative agreement-funded activity (the notice references an anticipated single award and a ceiling figure of $3,750,000, though the RFI itself reiterates that no award commitment is made at this stage).

• The Agency for International Development, Kazakhstan USAID-Almaty in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "USAID/Central Asia’s Turkmenistan New Generation Activity" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 02, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 16, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $3,750,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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