The project is implemented by Housing Initiatives for Eastern Europe (IWO e.V.) and works with BIOs in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Project overview
PROMHOUSE aims to boost the development of the private sector and the economic diversification in Central Asia by empowering and strengthening private companies in the sector of housing management in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
In order to reach the goals, the project is designed with the following specific objectives in mind:
- enhance the capacities of MSMEs and BIOs to represent their interests and encouraging them to take an active role in housing policy decision-making processes
- improve professionalism as well as organisational and institutional capacities of BIOs to provide training and skill development activities for MSMEs (e.g. on housing management, financial management, energy efficiency (EE) in buildings et al.)
- initiate vocational education and training (VET) for housing managers at Central Asian VET institutions
- increase professional capacities of entrepreneurs and job seekers, in order to stimulate job creation and MSMEs development
- support innovation through testing and disseminating new building and maintenance technologies, materials, and the involvement in local networks and clusters
- strengthen links and networks between European and Central Asian BIOs and local authorities.
Latest News and Events
Study tours to Germany: to Bochum from 20 to 24 June and to Berlin from 23 to 27 August 2022
On June 20-24 a study tour to the European Education Centre for Housing and Real Estate (EBZ) in Bochum, Germany was organized for housing professionals from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The German experience in the field of professional education for real estate management, common practices for management of residential real estates (housing cooperatives, housing management companies) were presented.
Representatives of state authorities, vocational colleges, housing management companies and housing management associations – partners of the PROMHOUSE project – 18 people took part in an extensive programme including theoretical and practical training – introduction to housing management companies, the vocational training centre, and visits to modernised housing estates and new housing developments.
Rüdiger Grebe, Director of the EBZ Academy, introduced the centre, which was founded in 1957, and its structure which combines a vocational college, academy, business school and research centre under one roof. The EBZ has 100 teachers and 29 employees. Klaus Leuchtmann, Head of the Board of the EBZ, spoke in detail about the various training opportunities for real estate professionals. He emphasised the success of case studies on energy efficiency and alternative energy for the residential sector and stressed the importance and necessity of this topic for professionals.
10 professors from the EBZ, 3 experts from the IWO, the project manager as well as 8 representatives from management companies, cooperative societies and vocational training centres took part in the study tour and presented the multifaceted picture of housing management in Germany to the participants.
In August representatives of the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services of the Republic of Uzbekistan visited Berlin to get acquainted with large-scale energy saving modernisation of industrially built residential buildings. In the study tour took part also the director of the Association of the organizations of professionally managing and serving housing funds (UYUSHMA) and the director of the Housing Management Company ELRUS from Tashkent.
A significant event of the study tour was the visit to the EUREF Campus Business Park – Energy Transition Laboratory, an integrated neighbourhood concept, where the members of the Uzbek delegation met with representatives of dena German Energy Agency. The meeting continued the dialogue on the implementation of the construction phase of the pilot project for energy efficient modernisation of a residential building in Nukus, Uzbekistan, initiated in the framework of the European Union project PRO HOUSE, a precursor of the PROMHOUSE project.
The meeting at the Center of Competence for Major Housing Estates with Ralf Protz, head of the centre, was very valuable for the participants of the study tour, as they learned in detail about the concept of modernising residential areas built in industrial style, using the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district of Berlin as an example. This is the largest residential area in Germany, built between 1977 and 1990.
The Ambassador of Uzbekistan, Mr. Nabijon Kasimov, welcomed the participants of the study tour and discussed with them the international cooperation between MZhKO RUz. and different organizations in Germany from the field of building and housing and offered his assistance and support.
Photo: © Association UYSHUMASI, Tashkent
Photo: © IWO e.V.
Photo: © EBZ
Photo: © IWO e.V.
The issues of vocational training for the management of multi-family housing stock were discussed in Tashkent at a round table on “Development of vocational education for housing management in Uzbekistan”. The meeting was held in the framework of the European Union PROMHOUSE project with the participation of representatives of the European Union Delegation to Uzbekistan, Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, European Union in Uzbekistan, Ministry of Housing and Communal Services, Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialised Education, Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, international organisations, other interested organisations and departments, representatives of small and medium businesses working in the housing and communal sector.
The topics discussed at the round table are in line with the direction of the PROMHOUSE project in the country and are more relevant than ever for Uzbekistan. The project aims to professionalise housing management in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. At the moment, the reform of the housing sector is ongoing and the search is on for the most effective ways to manage and maintain residential buildings. It is impossible to achieve results without young, competent, qualified personnel, possessing modern technologies, actively using digitalization, ready to implement innovative projects, projects on energy refurbishment of residential buildings.
The issue of providing the population with quality, safe, comfortable housing is one of the priorities of socio-economic policy of any state. It is important not only to increase housing, but also to make it safe, comfortable, energy efficient, and manageable with timely repairs, taking into account energy-saving measures. This requires professionalization of residential property management. To meet this challenge, PROMHOUSE has brought together specialists from the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Higher Education and international experts to develop professional standards for housing managers and caretaker. At the moment, professional standards, new curricula and modules are already being finalized, taking into account market requirements and international experience, adapted to our conditions. The list of professions and specialties of vocational education will be updated. It will include in-demand professions related to the management of the residential housing stock. Once approved, the educational programmes will be used to train the new generation of housing managers and house masters, who will be trained at the Karshi Community and Maintenance College, which has been selected as a pilot site.
As a result of the meeting, the participants will develop recommendations to improve the system of professional education in the management and operation of residential buildings, and to expand access to educational programmes in this area. These will be sent to the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services and the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialised Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
More events
The experience exchange event on management and maintenance of residential property in Almaty was attended by 15 specialists from the housing and communal services sector of Uzbekistan. At the round table representatives of housing management associations discussed the development of management systems for multi-storey buildings and the improvement of vocational education, in particular the prospects for creating curricula in vocational schools and colleges and the organisation of dual training. Visits were organised to housing management companies and the Almaty Construction and Technical College, certified to train the first ‘house masters’ in Kazakhstan.
Photo: © Association “Shanyrak”, Kazakhstan
Publications, articles and trainings
This publication presents an example of a Housing Association from Germany advocating for change in the Housing Relations Act. Three reviews for the article – by housing specialists from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Belarus (in Russian) can be found here.
Find here the analysis of professional management of housing stock capacity in Kazakhstan (Russian / English).
Trainings. Have a look at the different phases of the TOT “Taining for Trainers” programme for housing managers (in Russian).
Good to know
All project events will be covered on the website of the Uzbek Association of the organizations of professionally managing and serving housing funds: https://uyushma.uz/project. The project‘s website is in Russian and English.
Overview of the project activities for 2022 – see Newsletter №4 (here). Newsletters are published twice a year in both English and Russian.
Contact person: Larissa Schreckenbach, Initiative Wohnungswirtschaft Osteuropa (IWO), schreckenbach@iwoev.org