A presentation of the unique publication “The History of Vocational Education in Georgia,” prepared by the TSU Vocational Education Center, was held at TSU. The event was attended by TSU Rector, Academician Jaba Samushia; Minister of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia, Givi Mikanadze; Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Youth Affairs, Mariam Lashkhi; Deputy Head of the Tbilisi City Hall Culture, Education, Sports and Youth Affairs Service, Vasil Karseladze; Acting Director of the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement, Lasha Margishvili; Acting Director General of the Skills Agency, Kakha Khandolishvili; TSU Vice-Rector Kakhaber Cheishvili; Head of the TSU Vocational Education Center Levan Tsikaridze; and invited guests.

“Vocational education has a clearly defined importance for Georgia. Historically, mastering a craft was considered prestigious in our country. The 19th century became the era of vocational schools. Even today, the need for vocational education in Georgia is evident. We know that many interesting initiatives are planned in this field. Collecting the materials included in this book was not easy. Through this publication, the wider public will become familiar with a great deal of previously unknown information,” said TSU Rector Jaba Samushia.

“Vocational education is becoming increasingly relevant in our lives, and we place special emphasis on this direction. We plan to strengthen the infrastructure of vocational institutions, develop programmes tailored to labor market needs, and expand the geographical coverage of educational institutions. Today, many investors are entering Georgia, and they should not face difficulties or need to bring in personnel from abroad; our population should be employed to the maximum extent possible. It is also important that trust in vocational programmes has increased in recent years,” noted Givi Mikanadze, Minister of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia.

The book “The History of Vocational Education in Georgia” is based on existing publications, periodicals, and other archival materials that document the history of vocational education in Georgia. The materials were collected with the support of the National Archives of Georgia and the National Library of Georgia.

The training of vocational professionals has been regarded as highly important in Georgia for many centuries. Clear evidence of this can be seen in the agricultural culture and craft traditions of ancient Kolkheti and Iberia, as well as in medieval academies, guilds and workshops, which for centuries contributed to the preservation and development of national identity and culture, as well as the stability of the nation and the country.

The author and compiler of the book is Salome Chanturidze, Manager of Vocational Orientation and Career Planning at the TSU Vocational Education Center, while the Editor-in-Chief is TSU Vice-Rector Kakhaber Cheishvili.

“Mastering a profession is one of the most important stages in the development of humanity. Education and knowledge have always been highly valued on the territory of Georgia. However, official vocational institutions emerged only in the 19th century. On March 17, 1847, the first vocational institution—the Caucasus Surveying School—was opened, responding to the challenges of the time and training land surveyors. This was followed by the establishment of various vocational institutions and workers’ schools,” noted the author. According to Salome Chanturidze, the publication represents the first attempt to present the topic in a unified format, and work on the second volume will begin in the near future.

The TSU Vocational Education Center plans to present the publication and a thematic photo exhibition in the regions of Georgia at various educational institutions.

The publication “The History of Vocational Education in Georgia” was prepared by the TSU Vocational Education Center within the framework of the Tbilisi City Hall program “Creative Tbilisi,” under the “Publishing Activities” competition, and was printed with the support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia.

The publication is bilingual (Georgian–English) and covers the history of vocational education from the 1840s of the 19th century to 1921.