New special scholarship program announced for graduates in Uzbekistan

The Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan is launching a promising and major scholarship program for graduating students of higher education institutions. This initiative not only provides financial support to talented youth, but also opens up unparalleled opportunities for them to undergo direct internships within the country's main financial regulatory system, reinforce theoretical knowledge in real banking practice, and ultimately become highly qualified professionals in the field.

Scholarship Amount and 15-Hour Weekly Internship: What is Offered to Students?

A number of privileges are envisioned for talented youth recognized as winners:

• Financial Incentive: The scholarship amount is set at least three times the base calculation amount (BCA), which currently amounts to 1 million 320 thousand soums per month;

• Direct Internship at the Central Bank: Winners will complete internships in the structural divisions of the main bank for no more than 15 hours per week;

• Professional Skills: Students will get closely acquainted with the internal mechanisms of the banking system without interrupting their studies and accumulate strong practical experience.

Who Can Participate? Covered Fields and Requirements

The program covers a wide range of modern specialties:

• Target Audience: Final-year students studying in full-time bachelor's and master's degree programs at higher education institutions;

• Academic Performance and Language Proficiency: Must have studied with high grades in the previous academic year. Additionally, proficiency in Russian and English at least at the B2 level is required, alongside the state language;

• Covered Fields: Economics, finance, banking, statistics, accounting, world economy, as well as IT, artificial intelligence, software engineering, information security, jurisprudence, media design, philology, and translation studies.

Who Will Have the Advantage in the Selection? (Bonus Factors)

Candidates possessing the following certificates and achievements will have a significant advantage in the selection process:

• International Financial Certificates: Holders of ACCA and similar internationally recognized programs;

• Modern Skills and Language Proficiency: Experience working with Big Data and an IELTS score of 7.0 or higher;

• Olympiad Winners: Young people who have succeeded in prestigious olympiads and competitions in finance, economics, and information technology.

Selection Stages and Important Deadlines: Hurry Up!

The selection will be carried out in several transparent stages:

• Until September 11: Submission of documents via the Central Bank's official Telegram bot (@cbu_official_bot);

• September 15 (10:00 AM): First stage — screening test examinations;

• September 16: Second stage — foreign language interviews;

• September 18: Final stage — decisive individual interview with the Expert Group.

In your opinion, to what extent will the launch of such a major scholarship and internship program by the Central Bank for students help reduce the "talent shortage" in the banking system? What other initiatives are needed to bridge the gap between theory in universities and real banking practice? Leave your thoughts in the comments!