The IBBC Autumn Conference in Basrah (3 December 2025), Education Day – Session 2: Vocational Training highlighted the urgent need to modernise Iraq’s skills ecosystem.
Chaired by Professor Mohammed Al-Uzri, the session brought together Husam Labadi, Dr. Maher Al-Shamkhani, Stephen Turner, Hardi Ismail, Ahmed Al-Haidary to examine how vocational training can better align with labour-market needs.

Key insights and takeaways included:

• Iraq’s economy-wide competency gap—technical, English, soft skills and especially middle management—creates significant openings for employers and training providers to shape talent pipelines.
• Employer-led apprenticeships are proving that industry-designed, job-linked training can rapidly convert top graduates into work-ready technicians—an opportunity for companies to secure scarce skills.
• Universities assessing thousands of students annually in English and digital proficiency are building the foundation for more agile, demand-driven programmes, enabling businesses to benefit from better-prepared recruits.
• Stronger multi-ministerial coordination and a forthcoming TVET law signal a system primed for reform, opening space for public–private partnerships to scale training capacity.
• Growing enrolment in modern vocational specialties indicates rising student demand, creating a timely opportunity to expand high-impact technical programmes and strengthen future workforce supply.

To read the full insights & takeaways, here

 

The Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) brings together business, trade, investment and education partners from the UK, Iraq and beyond to support a free, prosperous and diversified Iraq.

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