Ali Zuweid's Political Programme
Legislative proposal · Education, Scientific Research, Culture, Youth and Sport
Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Skills System Law
Executive summary
This national framework proposal connects three institutionally distinct areas: school vocational education in the Ministry of Education, technical education in the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and employment-related vocational training in the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. It creates shared qualification, quality, data, apprenticeship and prior-learning recognition rules and links programmes to labour-market needs, rather than merging ministries or creating a large parallel executive authority.
Iraq already has foundations: Labour Law No. (37) of 2015 regulates vocational training, centres and trainee contracts; Instructions No. (1) of 2024 govern private training-centre licences; and the Council of Ministers approved a technical and vocational qualifications system in 2021. The National Education Strategy 2022–2031 prioritises TVET reform. The proposal therefore integrates existing elements into a coherent legal system and prevents institutional duplication.
Labour-market findings published in 2026 show the need for flexible planning. A UNESCO-supported assessment identified growing digital-skills demand in Baghdad, Basra, Dhi Qar, Al-Qadisiyah and Nineveh and green-skills opportunities in solar energy, green construction, sustainable agriculture and irrigation elsewhere. One rigid national programme is insufficient: opening and expanding specialisations should reflect governorate and sector labour-market profiles and graduates' inter-governorate mobility.
The proposal establishes a national coordination council linked to the Council of Ministers, without separate legal personality or parallel executive machinery; ministries retain implementation. It gives statutory footing to the technical and vocational qualifications framework, creates a national qualifications register and recognises prior learning, micro-credentials, stackable units and bridges from vocational study to technical education.
Apprenticeship safeguards prevent cheap-labour substitution: written agreements, learning plans, qualified supervisors, fair remuneration, occupational safety, legally required social protection, prohibition of hazardous work barred to juveniles, and no use of trainee status to evade worker rights where the relationship is substantively employment.
The proposal creates neither a new fund nor an automatic skills levy. It uses existing budgets, redirected training expenditure, disclosed partnerships, grants and international projects. Additional instruments may later be considered through separate legislation if evidence establishes need, allowing implementation without uncosted permanent budget obligations.
Current legal and institutional context
The proposal rests on constitutional education, work and equal-opportunity rights and shared educational policymaking requiring federal, regional and governorate consultation. It is a federal framework for federally governed bodies and governorates not incorporated into a region, with regional mutual-recognition and coordination mechanisms rather than assumed unilateral federal control over all training details.
School education remains governed by Ministry of Education Law No. (22) of 2011, amended by Law No. (9) of 2025 published in Iraqi Gazette 4841. The original law permits training, commercial, agricultural, industrial and technical centres and courses as needed. Post-secondary technical education falls within the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, its amended Law No. (40) of 1988 and affiliated technical institutions.
Labour Law No. (37) of 2015 directly regulates pre-employment training, retraining unemployed people and workers at risk, public and private centres, trainee contracts and safety. Private Vocational Training Centre Licensing Instructions No. (1) of 2024 were issued under it. These necessary provisions should be preserved but alone cannot create a unified qualifications and education–training–work transition system.
Council of Ministers Decision No. (99) of 2021 approved the technical and vocational qualifications system, used by the National Education Strategy to develop technical admissions and preparation policy. Its knowledge, skill and competence levels standardise descriptions and facilitate progression and recognition, providing an existing foundation for statutory reinforcement.
Iraq has been party to ILO Human Resources Development Convention No. (142) since 1978, requiring comprehensive coordinated employment-linked guidance and vocational-training policies and lifelong provision for young people and adults. In observations published in 2026, the ILO Committee of Experts requested clearer information on market alignment, apprenticeships, prior-learning recognition and work-transition outcomes. Integration of training and employment data is therefore a practical obligation, not merely an administrative option.
Legislative gap
The main problem is fragmented governance, data and standards rather than absent institutions. Education manages vocational schools; Higher Education manages technical universities, institutes and colleges; Labour manages employment-related training and licences private centres; Planning uses labour-market and development data. Each has legitimate powers, but no shared framework complicates transitions and risks duplicated programmes, unequal certificates and unclear occupational relevance.
Secondly, qualifications rely more on government decisions and policies than comprehensive statutory rights. Learners and employers need a clear register showing national status, level, demonstrated skills and accumulation or comparison pathways. Experienced workers who learned outside schools need genuine assessment and lawful recognition rather than repeating unnecessary training years.
Thirdly, integrated workplace learning is weak. Labour law regulates training and contracts, but national apprenticeships also need qualification links, supervisor standards, learning-quality verification, transfer mechanisms if employers close and safeguards against disguised employment. These make apprenticeships meaningful education rather than temporary labour use.
Fourthly, skills change rapidly. In 2026 studies identified demand for software, cybersecurity, digital marketing and network management in some governorates, and solar energy, green construction, environment, sustainable agriculture and irrigation elsewhere. Specialisations retained unchanged for decades cannot respond. Updated standards, micro-credentials and stackable units require lawful mechanisms while basic statutory safeguards remain stable.
Proposed legislative policy
- A framework law, not a new ministry: A small national coordination council, with implementation retained in existing institutions.
- One qualifications framework: Give the 2021 system statutory footing, connecting national qualifications to a register and verifiable learning outcomes.
- Open pathways: Bridges between vocational and technical education, prior-learning recognition, micro-credentials and continuing learning.
- Labour markets within decision-making: Sector skills councils, governorate profiles and periodic demand assessments rather than institution-led supply alone.
- Quality before expansion: No laboratory- or workshop-dependent specialisation without real capacity or a partnership ensuring it.
- Protected apprenticeships: Written agreements, supervision, safety, remuneration and no labour-law evasion.
- Non-discrimination: Effective access for women, persons with disabilities and underserved areas, with accommodations.
- Affordable financing: No new fund or automatic skills levy now; begin with existing resources and expand according to evidence.
Draft law
In the name of the people
Presidency of the Republic
Pursuant to approval by the Council of Representatives and ratification by the President of the Republic, and under the Constitution, the following Law is issued:
Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Skills System Law
Chapter One — General provisions
Article (1) — Definitions
For this Law: First — Council: the National Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Skills established here. Second — TVET: organised programmes developing occupational and technical knowledge, skills and competencies for an occupation or group of occupations, in formal, non-formal or workplace settings. Third — Skills system: the integrated national framework for governance, information, standards, qualifications, guidance, training, prior-learning recognition, transition to work and lifelong learning. Fourth — Qualifications framework: Iraq's nationally adopted technical and vocational framework based on knowledge, skill and competence levels. Fifth — Occupational standard: an approved description of competencies required for an occupation, job or task. Sixth — Qualification: official recognition of assessed and quality-assured learning outcomes. Seventh — Accreditation: formal confirmation that an institution, programme or assessment body meets quality standards. Eighth — Recognition of prior learning: assessment and documentation of knowledge, skills and competencies acquired through work, non-formal or informal learning. Ninth — Apprenticeship: structured theoretical and workplace learning under a written agreement leading to a qualification or recognised component. Tenth — Micro-credential: evidence of specific, limited-scale learning outcomes stackable under rules.
Article (2) — Objectives
This Law establishes a connected national skills system linking Education's vocational schools, Higher Education's technical education, Labour's vocational training and economic and labour-market needs; raises vocational and technical quality and standing; facilitates education, work and lifelong-learning transitions; unifies qualification and skill standards and recognition; expands practical training and apprenticeships; involves employers and workers in system design; improves opportunities for women, young people, persons with disabilities and underserved communities; and strengthens digital, green and entrepreneurial skills.
Article (3) — Scope
This Law applies to public and private TVET bodies and programmes governed federally or by governorates not incorporated into a region, and qualifications seeking national recognition. Technical higher education is covered in skills, qualifications and work transition without prejudice to higher-education and university law. Regional constitutional powers shall be respected through coordination on mutual recognition and shared national standards.
Article (4) — Governing principles
The system rests on actual and anticipated demand, training quality, merit and competence, equal dignity and opportunity across academic and vocational routes, mobility, lifelong learning, tripartite state–employer–worker partnership, technically independent assessment, transparency, safety, non-discrimination, learner protection and responsiveness to governorate economies. Qualifications and programmes require clear occupational foundations and realistic training capacity.
Article (5) — Access and lifelong learning
Everyone has equitable access to TVET, career guidance, retraining and upskilling subject to admission conditions and capacity. Public bodies shall design flexible return-to-learning and career-change pathways; skills opportunities may not be confined to formal-school ages.
Article (6) — Non-discrimination and accessibility
Admission, training, assessment, qualifications, apprenticeships and guidance may not discriminate by sex, ethnicity, religion, sect, disability, social origin, lawful political opinion or grounds unrelated to occupational competence. Reasonable disability accommodations and women's and girls' safety and access to non-traditional fields shall be provided.
Article (7) — Relationship with education and employment
The skills system complements general and higher education and employment policy, forming neither a closed nor inferior route. National rules shall permit qualified transitions among vocational, academic and technical education and between non-formal training and formal qualifications, without automatic academic equivalence unsupported by comparable outcomes.
Article (8) — Protection of legal status
This Law does not extinguish acquired student, trainee, worker or qualification-holder rights. Transition shall progressively align existing programmes and qualifications, prioritising educational continuity and completion rights under published rules.
Chapter Two — National governance and coordination
Article (9) — National Council establishment
The National Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Skills shall be linked to the Council of Ministers as a high-level policy and coordination body, without separate legal personality or parallel executive machinery. It shall unify national directions, adopt shared frameworks and standards and monitor institutional integration.
Article (10) — Council composition
The Prime Minister or delegate shall chair the Council. Members comprise ministers responsible for education, higher education, labour, planning, finance, industry and agriculture or representatives at least of deputy-minister rank; governorate representatives; the most representative employer and worker organisations; and two independent skills and labour-market experts. Kurdistan and professional or sectoral representatives may be invited according to subject within constitutional coordination.
Article (11) — Council powers
The Council shall adopt skills policy, qualifications-framework structure and registration standards, priority sectors and sector skills councils, forecasting methodology, prior-learning, apprenticeship and micro-credential rules; coordinate funding; review performance; and propose legislation preventing education, training and employment conflicts and duplication.
Article (12) — Meetings and decisions
The Council shall meet at least quarterly and decide within its powers by majority present, hearing employer and worker representatives on labour-market, apprenticeship and occupational-standard matters. General decisions, standards and brief outcome minutes shall be published except legally protected information.
Article (13) — Technical secretariat
The Ministry of Planning's Human Development Department or lawful successor shall provide secretariat services using existing staff, supplemented by member bodies if needed. A separate administration requires later legislation establishing necessity following evaluation.
Article (14) — Ministry of Education responsibilities
The Ministry manages school-level vocational education, opens, closes or merges branches and specialisations, develops curricula, schools and laboratories, qualifies teachers and trainers, regulates school assessment and certificates and places programmes within the framework under this Law and education legislation.
Article (15) — Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research responsibilities
The Ministry governs post-secondary technical education and technical universities, colleges and institutes under its law, aligns qualifications and applied-programme outcomes with framework and sector standards, and develops vocational-graduate bridges and admission routes while preserving higher-education standards, academic independence and accreditation.
Article (16) — Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs responsibilities
The Ministry governs employment-related training, retraining and jobseekers, licences and supervises private vocational centres under labour law and instructions, and links training with employment services and market information. National-qualification programmes must meet this Law's framework and quality standards.
Article (17) — Ministry of Planning responsibilities
The Ministry shall coordinate labour-market and skills data and sectoral and local projections, link skills outcomes with development and public-investment plans, support the technical secretariat and publish skills-gap reports with the Central Statistical Organisation and sector bodies.
Article (18) — Governorate role
Governorates not incorporated into a region shall assess local demand, propose priority specialisations, support training–business partnerships and supply project, investment and employment data. Locally financed national-qualification programmes must comply with accreditation and registration rules.
Article (19) — Social partners
The most representative employer and worker organisations are integral to skills policy, occupational standards, apprenticeships, programme reviews and demand forecasting. Participation grants no monopoly over training, accreditation or employment; conflicts require disclosure and recusal.
Article (20) — Sector skills councils
The Council may create permanent or temporary councils in economically important or rapidly changing sectors, with balanced government, producer, employer, worker, educational and expert representation. They recommend standards, gap responses, curricula and apprenticeships but neither award qualifications nor replace regulators.
Article (21) — Institutional advisory councils
Major vocational and technical institutions shall form advisory councils of local employers, graduates, learners and experts, reviewing programme and equipment relevance, workplace learning and graduate employment. Non-binding recommendations shall be summarised in institutional reports.
Article (22) — National skills plan
Every three years, the Council shall adopt an annually updatable plan identifying priority sectors and occupations, geographic gaps, retraining needs and fields requiring expansion, reduction or renewal. It guides admissions, programmes and public funding without replacing budgets or ministerial plans.
Article (23) — Regional coordination
The Council and ministries shall regularly consult regional authorities on qualification portability and mutual recognition, labour-market data exchange and appropriate shared standards, respecting each government's constitutional powers.
Chapter Three — Qualifications, standards and recognition
Article (24) — Framework continuity
Iraq's Technical and Vocational Qualifications Framework adopted by Council of Ministers Decision No. (99) of 2021 remains the national foundation until updated under this Law. Framework and general registration rules gain regulatory force following lawful adoption and publication.
Article (25) — Qualification levels
Levels shall reflect knowledge, skills, competence, autonomy and responsibility outcomes rather than duration alone. Regulations shall define levels and educational-stage relationships, permitting unit accumulation and progression where admission and assessment requirements are met.
Article (26) — National qualifications register
The secretariat and authorities shall create an electronic register identifying recognised qualifications' names, levels, awarding bodies, outcomes, duration or volume, programmes, status and accreditation dates. Unregistered qualifications may not be advertised as nationally recognised.
Article (27) — Occupational standards
Standards shall draw on work and occupation analysis, technologies, safety, digital, green and basic skills. Sector councils or technical committees of employers, workers, practitioners and trainers shall develop them, reviewing periodically or after substantial technological change.
Article (28) — Updating standards
Standards shall be reviewed at least every three years in rapidly changing sectors and every five years elsewhere, or earlier as markets, technology, safety or professional regulation change. Effects on enrolled learners and programmes must be explained.
Article (29) — Competency-based qualifications
Qualifications shall clearly state what holders know, can perform and take responsibility for, separating outcomes from delivery methods. Design includes relevant safety, basic and digital skills, communication, teamwork and sustainability.
Article (30) — Learning units and credits
Qualifications may comprise stackable units with defined learning volumes, outcomes and assessment. A national technical and vocational credit system may facilitate transfer and accumulation, but credits alone cannot demonstrate competence lacking appropriate practical assessment.
Article (31) — Micro-credentials
Micro-credentials may cover specific skills or emerging technologies but cannot be called degrees or diplomas without meeting their requirements. They must be digitally verifiable, identifying outcomes, volume, level, issuer and any accumulation into larger qualifications.
Article (32) — Recognition of prior learning
Individuals may request assessment of work, self-learning and informal-training experience for units, qualifications or programme exemptions. Recognition requires evidence and suitable practical assessment or tests; applications cannot be rejected solely because learning occurred outside institutions.
Article (33) — Prior-learning assessment centres
Authorities shall designate accredited centres, separating training and final assessment decisions where possible to prevent conflicts. Decisions shall undergo audits, sampling, review and grievance procedures.
Article (34) — Bridging and pathway mobility
Education and Higher Education ministries shall coordinate clear routes from vocational study to corresponding or related technical institutes and colleges and from higher education to specialised vocational pathways. Equivalent units shall count without removing essential academic or professional requirements.
Article (35) — Career guidance
Educational institutions and employment centres shall offer neutral guidance using current occupation, pathway, wage, demand, working-condition, hazard and continuing-education information. Learners may not be steered into fields merely to fill places.
Article (36) — Certificates and digital verification
Certificates may be paper or digitally verifiable, with stable qualification and verification-transaction identifiers under a unified system. Unnecessary personal data shall be excluded; holders may obtain records of outcomes and completed units.
Article (37) — International and regional recognition
Authorities shall align descriptions, terminology and quality processes to facilitate mutual recognition without lowering national standards. Arrangements may not compromise regulated-profession or public-safety requirements.
Chapter Four — Providers, quality and accreditation
Article (38) — Provider classification
Providers include vocational schools; technical institutes, colleges and universities within their powers; Labour and other ministry centres; private and in-house centres; and authorised non-governmental bodies. Each retains its legal regime and licensing body, while national qualifications meet uniform standards.
Article (39) — Private-centre licensing
Licensing remains with Labour and Social Affairs under labour law and Private Vocational Training Centre Licensing Instructions No. (1) of 2024 or successors. National-qualification programmes additionally require programme and assessment standards and register entry.
Article (40) — Public institutions
Public status does not exempt quality, programme accreditation or assessment. Government trainers shall state whether awards are national qualifications, attendance or course-completion certificates. Names implying nonexistent recognition are prohibited.
Article (41) — Programme accreditation
National-qualification programmes require accreditation covering occupational need, outcomes, curriculum, duration or volume, practical share, trainer competence, equipment, safety, assessment and workplace-training opportunities.
Article (42) — Institutional and programme accreditation
Accreditation may separately assess institutional governance, resources, safety and quality and programme outcomes, content and assessment. Passing one does not replace the other where both are required.
Article (43) — Internal quality
Every provider shall monitor attendance, completion, withdrawal, assessment, complaints, laboratory safety, learner and employer satisfaction and graduate pathways. Data shall improve provision without manipulable indicators or unfair comparisons across learner groups.
Article (44) — Trainers and teachers
Vocational and technical teachers shall combine suitable qualifications with practical competence or occupational experience. Authorities shall provide continuing development in factories, workplaces and laboratories; industry experts may teach part-time under integrity and competence rules.
Article (45) — Workplace trainer preparation
Workplace trainers and supervisors require appropriate guidance, assessment, safety and learner-protection training. Occupational experience alone does not qualify someone for final assessment without preparation in approved assessment tools.
Article (46) — Laboratories and workshops
Practical specialisations require suitable workshops, laboratories and equipment or binding external-access agreements. Hazardous equipment needs maintenance and periodic inspection; unsafe or obsolete equipment may not expose learners to danger.
Article (47) — Digital and blended training
Theory, simulation and supporting instruction may be digital or blended. Distance learning may replace required hands-on practice only where professionally recognised, safe simulation achieves the same outcomes. Digital accessibility and data protection apply.
Article (48) — Competency-based curricula
Curricula shall centre on tasks, competencies and standards rather than hours alone, integrating relevant basic skills, numeracy, language, communication, digital skills, safety, sustainability and entrepreneurship. Updated standards or significant technological change trigger review.
Article (49) — Occupational assessment
Assessment shall measure actual performance under work-like conditions where possible, combining knowledge, application, professional conduct and safety. Pass criteria must be predefined; attendance alone cannot earn qualifications.
Article (50) — External assessment
Samples of assessments and qualifications, especially high-risk occupations and major national qualifications, shall undergo external audit or independent verification. The Council may approve external assessors or joint institutional-sector assessment centres.
Article (51) — Assessment grievances
Learners may receive detailed results without disclosure of confidential questions, request correction of factual or procedural errors and appeal to a committee independent of the first assessor. Mere dissatisfaction does not reopen technical judgment absent flawed procedure or criteria.
Article (52) — Suspension and cancellation
Authorities may warn programmes, suspend admissions or revoke accreditation for lost safety or quality standards, misleading data or improper awards. Closure requires learner-protection plans enabling completion or transfer to accredited provision.
Chapter Five — School vocational and technical education
Article (53) — School vocational education
Upper-secondary vocational education shall lead to recognised qualifications combining general education, occupational skills and practice. It must be a chosen pathway with clear standards and genuine progression, rather than a channel for lower-achieving pupils.
Article (54) — Opening and closing specialisations
Decisions shall reflect local and national demand, capacity, employment records, trainers and equipment. Persistently weak-demand or declining-opportunity fields require review while protecting enrolled students.
Article (55) — Foundational skills
School programmes shall provide sufficient language, mathematics, science, digital and civic skills for later learning and progression, rather than narrow operational skills rendered obsolete by technological change.
Article (56) — Practical experience
Substantial practical learning shall occur in workshops, laboratories or workplaces according to specialisation. Occupational standards, rather than one universal percentage, determine the share. Completed tasks and supervision must be documented.
Article (57) — Higher-education progression
Higher Education shall publish stable vocational-graduate admissions rules for corresponding or related technical fields, preserving advancement rather than educational dead ends. Tests or bridging programmes may address entry gaps.
Article (58) — Post-secondary technical education
Technical education shall prepare technicians and technologists with advanced applied skills connecting science to production and services. Programmes require appropriate laboratory, fieldwork, applied-project and workplace-training shares without compromising degree or diploma standards.
Article (59) — Polytechnics and applied pathways
Technical institutes and colleges may develop polytechnic models or flexible applied pathways under higher-education law and accreditation, based on economic need and institutional capacity rather than renaming alone. Resulting awards shall align with the national framework.
Article (60) — Industry experience for teaching staff
Institutions shall encourage staff work placements and professional updating in production and service enterprises and specialist practitioners' involvement in practical teaching, regulating conflicts, intellectual property and confidentiality through clear contracts.
Article (61) — Applied projects and entrepreneurship
Graduation projects may address real industrial or service problems with businesses, protecting student and intellectual-property rights. Entrepreneurship and small-business management may be integrated without turning technical education into non-academic commercial training.
Article (62) — Student support
Institutions shall provide academic and career guidance, psychological support and work-transition services, prevent dropout and address learning difficulties, particularly for rural and low-income students, persons with disabilities and women in underrepresented fields.
Article (63) — Vocational pathways' social standing
Public campaigns and guidance shall not portray vocational education as inferior. Information for students and families shall reflect actual learning, employment, income and career opportunities rather than publicity or administrative pressure to change enrolment shares.
Chapter Six — Workplace learning and apprenticeships
Article (64) — Workplace training
Workplace training may be compulsory or optional within accredited programmes. Objectives, outcomes, duration, supervisor responsibilities, attendance hours, safety and assessment must be defined before commencement.
Article (65) — Accredited apprenticeships
Accredited apprenticeships must systematically combine theory and workplace training, follow occupational standards, lead to recognised qualifications or units and operate under written agreements and quality and safety safeguards.
Article (66) — Apprenticeship agreements
Agreements between trainees, host organisations and training providers where present shall specify occupation, level, duration, learning schedule, rights, remuneration, insurance, safety, supervision, assessment, complaints and termination. Trainees shall receive understandable copies before starting.
Article (67) — No employment-law evasion
Trainee or apprentice labels may not evade worker rights where employment-contract elements exist. Actual performance, supervision and economic benefit prevail over contractual descriptions for labour-law protection.
Article (68) — Remuneration
Apprentices shall receive fair remuneration under rules reflecting programme length, productive time, skill level and sector, respecting labour law and minimum wages where applicable. Trainees may not pay host businesses for productive work performed within accredited apprenticeships.
Article (69) — Social insurance and protection
Trainees and apprentices shall be protected against training and occupational injuries under labour, social-security and related laws. Agreements must identify contribution or coverage responsibility; field training cannot begin before required coverage exists.
Article (70) — Occupational health and safety
All relevant workplace safety requirements apply. Before hazardous machinery or material use, trainees must understand risks and receive equipment and training. They may refuse directly dangerous tasks until serious risks are resolved without punishment.
Article (71) — Trainees under eighteen
Learning cannot justify assigning legally prohibited juvenile work or training to under-eighteens. Recognised outcomes involving prohibited risks shall use simulation or safe alternatives, respecting compulsory schooling, study and rest hours.
Article (72) — Occupational supervisors
Hosts shall appoint practically competent, experienced and trained supervisors for appropriate trainee numbers, documenting progress, coordinating educational institutions and reporting risks or interruptions.
Article (73) — Host obligations
Hosts shall provide genuine planned learning, not permanent worker substitution; permit theory and assessment attendance; avoid repeated unrelated tasks; and protect dignity against violence, harassment, discrimination and exploitation.
Article (74) — Trainee obligations
Trainees shall attend, observe discipline and safety, protect equipment and lawful professional confidentiality and complete learning tasks. Ordinary supervised training mistakes create no loss liability absent intent or gross negligence under law.
Article (75) — Workplace assessment
Supervisors may collect evidence and assess performance, but final awards require accredited-body standards and verification preventing favouritism and conflicts. Assessment tools must be comparable between hosts.
Article (76) — Apprenticeship transfer
If hosts stop training or breach obligations, supervisors shall reasonably seek alternative hosts or pathways, crediting completed outcomes. Closure without trainee fault shall not cause academic loss.
Article (77) — Termination
Agreements may end by mutual consent, serious breach, danger or inability to continue, with notice and correction where remediable. Trainees retain records of completed recognised units.
Chapter Seven — Labour markets, guidance and reskilling
Article (78) — Labour-market information observatory
The system shall use observatory data, official platforms and national statistics as central planning sources. A unified exchange protocol shall link Planning, Education, Higher Education, Labour and the private sector while protecting personal data.
Article (79) — Labour-market assessments
Periodic national, local and sector assessments shall cover current and expected demand, emerging and declining occupations, scarce skills, recruitment practices, indicative wages and qualification–job gaps. Published methodology and limitations shall prevent treatment as certain predictions.
Article (80) — Governorate profiles
Each governorate shall have a skills profile connecting economic activity, projects, investment and resources to required fields, guiding programmes, places and laboratories without displacing nationally portable skills.
Article (81) — Priority sectors
The Council may temporarily prioritise evidence-based digital, green, industrial, construction, energy, agricultural, service, transport or other sectors. Priority status guarantees neither graduate employment nor automatic funding.
Article (82) — Digital skills
Qualifications shall include relevant skills from safe digital-tool use to programming, cybersecurity and systems management. Faster review shall reflect technological change; micro-credentials may update workers' skills.
Article (83) — Green skills
Relevant sectors shall incorporate energy efficiency, environmental safety, resource and waste management, clean technologies, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and green construction. Programmes may not use 'green' labels without specific practical outcomes.
Article (84) — Retraining and career transition
Public programmes shall prioritise unemployed people and workers threatened by technological or economic change. Short courses require initial skills assessment and transitions towards demanded occupations. Completion alone is insufficient evidence of success.
Article (85) — Informal-economy workers
Prior-learning recognition and flexible training shall help informal workers document skills and progress towards recognised qualifications and formal employment without long programmes where assessment already proves competence.
Article (86) — Guidance and employment services
School, institute, university and training-centre guidance shall integrate with public employment services, enabling access to apprenticeships, vacancies and learning routes. Learner data may not be sold to employers, nor learners compelled to use private recruitment intermediaries.
Article (87) — Graduate tracking
Where possible, institutions shall survey representative graduates six and twelve months after completion to measure employment or further study and job–qualification relevance. Reviews shall consider wider economic conditions rather than punish institutions for uncontrollable factors.
Article (88) — Underserved groups
Authorities shall support women, persons with disabilities, rural and deprived communities, displaced persons and low-income groups through transport, accommodation, adjustments or flexible training where funded, monitoring disaggregated outcomes without compromising privacy.
Chapter Eight — Finance, data and transparency
Article (89) — Public financing
Public programmes shall use competent-body budget allocations. New funds shall reflect need, demand, quality and practical-training costs rather than intake alone. Approximate sector cost benchmarks may estimate equipment and consumable needs.
Article (90) — Private-sector contributions
Businesses may finance equipment, grants, training places, joint programmes or apprenticeships with disclosure and no control over assessments or awards. New training taxes or fees require specific legislation and small- and medium-enterprise impact assessment.
Article (91) — Grants and international projects
Lawful skills grants and technical assistance may be accepted, registered nationally to prevent duplication. Sustainable standards, data and assets shall transfer to competent national bodies when projects end.
Article (92) — Fees
Public and private training, accreditation and assessment charges shall be lawful and published. Undisclosed examination, certificate, apprenticeship or expedited-document charges are prohibited; every payment requires a receipt or electronic proof.
Article (93) — Data system
An interconnected national system shall use uniform programme, qualification and institution identifiers, exchanging necessary data through interoperable interfaces rather than duplicate databases, with purpose limitation, minimisation and access controls.
Article (94) — Performance indicators
Indicators shall cover completion, withdrawal, independent assessment, work transition, job-search duration, employer and learner satisfaction, apprenticeships, underserved participation and cost per graduate. No single measure may rank institutions or determine programme survival.
Article (95) — Transparency
Accredited programmes and qualifications and their status, licensed providers, general decisions, major indicators and skills-gap reports shall be published annually, distinguishing raw data, estimates and forecasts and stating year and methodology.
Article (96) — Independent evaluation
Every five years, independent evaluation shall assess qualification quality, graduate employment, coordination, cost, apprenticeships and prior-learning recognition. Reports shall go to the Council of Ministers and Parliament and be published with a government response to actionable recommendations.
Chapter Nine — Rights, responsibility and oversight
Article (97) — Learner rights
Learners may know programme status and accreditation before enrolment, obtain outcome, cost and assessment descriptions, enjoy safety, dignity, data protection and remedies, and receive records of recognisable achievements upon withdrawal or transfer.
Article (98) — Misrepresentation prohibition
Claims of accreditation, national or international recognition or equivalence require valid proof of scope. Misleading advertising requires correction and refund of fees associated with false claims, alongside civil or criminal liability where applicable.
Article (99) — Assessment and certificate integrity
Selling or altering results for benefit, certifying unqualified persons or manipulating training hours, attendance or apprenticeship records is prohibited. Criminal matters shall be referred; programme or body accreditation may be suspended through procedures.
Article (100) — Complaints and whistleblowers
Safe channels shall report fraud, exploitation, harassment, danger or qualification manipulation. Good-faith reporting shall face no retaliation, preserving defence rights and preventing malicious or defamatory complaints.
Article (101) — Inspection
Regulators retain statutory institutional, centre and workplace inspection powers, with joint visits where responsibilities overlap. Inspections focus on safety, valid licensing, quality and trainee records; unrelated documents may not be requested.
Article (102) — Graduated administrative sanctions
Proportionate sanctions progress from advice, correction plans and warnings to admission, accreditation or licence suspension and cancellation for serious or repeated breaches. Immediate safety or certificate-forgery action remains appealable.
Article (103) — Grievance and appeal
Affected institutions, providers and learners may challenge accreditation, suspension, cancellation or recognition refusals before higher authorities or independent panels within prescribed periods, then competent courts. Grievances do not prevent urgent safety measures.
Chapter Ten — Transitional and final provisions
Article (104) — Transition plan
Within six months, the Council shall prepare a transition of no more than three years inventorying programmes, qualifications and centres, framework alignment, priority sector standards, the national register and phased prior-learning and accredited apprenticeship systems.
Article (105) — Current learners
Learners enrolled before new standards shall continue under original rules unless beneficial transition imposes no unreasonable extra requirements or costs. Each programme's arrangements must be announced before change.
Article (106) — Existing qualifications
Current official qualifications remain recognised during transition and shall be aligned and classified without harming holders. Retrospective register removal may not invalidate lawfully issued certificates.
Article (107) — Council of Ministers Decision No. 99 of 2021
The qualifications system approved by Decision No. (99) of 2021 and implementing decisions continue insofar as consistent with this Law until supplementary regulations or instructions issue.
Article (108) — Private-centre instructions
Private Vocational Training Centre Licensing Instructions No. (1) of 2024 continue where compatible and shall be amended within one year to link recognised qualifications with registration, quality, transparency and complaints standards.
Article (109) — Labour Law
Labour Law No. (37) of 2015 provisions on vocational training, contracts, safety and employment remain effective. Complementary interpretation shall give labour law priority on employment relationships, wages, safety and social insurance, and this Law priority on qualifications, national frameworks, quality and recognition.
Article (110) — Ministry of Education Law
Ministry of Education Law No. (22) of 2011, amended by Law No. (9) of 2025, governs administration and school education. Vocational regulations shall be adjusted as needed for framework, bridging, quality and practical-training provisions here.
Article (111) — Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research Law
Amended Ministry Law No. (40) of 1988 and higher-education legislation remain effective for technical universities, colleges and institutes. This Law integrates skills and qualifications without diminishing academic-degree or university-accreditation requirements.
Article (112) — Regulations and instructions
The Council of Ministers shall issue implementing regulations on Council and ministry proposals; each ministry issues instructions within its powers. Core qualification, accreditation, prior-learning, apprenticeship and data-exchange rules must issue within eighteen months of commencement.
Article (113) — Conflicting subordinate provisions
Conflicting lower-ranking provisions shall be repealed or amended when replacement regulations or instructions take effect. Existing operational rules continue temporarily to prevent legal vacuums or disruption of study and training.
Article (114) — Commencement
This Law takes effect ninety days after Official Gazette publication. Organisational or digital-dependent provisions follow specified transitions without delaying immediate transparency, grievance, safety and non-discrimination rights.
Statement of reasons
This Law is enacted to establish an integrated national TVET and skills system connecting education, labour markets and lifelong learning; unify qualifications, standards and recognition; develop apprenticeships, workplace learning and prior-learning recognition; improve institutional and programme quality and certificate transparency; involve employers and workers; facilitate youth and adult transitions; and integrate Education, Higher Education, Labour and Planning without parallel executive structures.
General explanatory memorandum
1. Why a national framework?
Iraqi TVET belongs to several bodies. Learners may start in vocational schools, progress to technical institutes or colleges and later retrain through Labour or private centres. Separate qualification, data and quality systems undermine mobility, recognition and flexibility. The proposal therefore regulates shared skills infrastructure without withdrawing original institutional powers.
2. Why a council without an independent authority?
The challenge is coordinating education, training, employment and business. A full new authority would require budgets, staff and powers potentially overlapping three ministries. A Council of Ministers-linked council and Planning secretariat instead adopt shared policy and standards and hold bodies accountable for integration, retaining existing school, institute and centre administration.
3. Qualifications frameworks are more than certificate lists
Employers and learners need three answers: qualification level, holder capabilities and progression routes. Decision No. (99) of 2021 laid foundations; the proposal adds registration, units, micro-credentials and prior-learning recognition, grounding levels in knowledge, skills and competence rather than study years alone.
4. Prior-learning recognition is necessary in Iraq
Many construction, maintenance, craft and service skills arise through work, family learning or informal training. Ignoring them forces workers to restart for certificates, while unassessed awards undermine trust. Evidence and impartial practical assessment allow proven competencies to earn units or qualifications, with targeted training filling identified gaps.
5. Apprenticeships are not free labour
Successful apprenticeships connect workplaces with recognised qualifications and shared learner, host and provider responsibility. Written agreements, learning programmes, supervision, suitable remuneration, safety, social protection and complaints are essential. Where trainees actually perform employees' work under employer direction, contractual labels cannot remove worker rights.
6. Vocational education is not a route for low achievers
Presenting vocational routes as alternatives for academic failure weakens their social standing. The Law instead offers specialised choice, standards, technical progression and sufficient foundational learning. Workshop, laboratory and trainer quality and advancement matter more than intake growth alone.
7. The 2026 evidence requires local and sector planning
Assessments published in 2026 identified digital demand in Baghdad, Basra, Dhi Qar, Al-Qadisiyah and Nineveh, and green opportunities in Babylon, Erbil, Salah al-Din, Sulaymaniyah and Duhok. The key is method: local economies differ. Governorate profiles, sector councils and periodic review replace assumptions of identical demand everywhere.
8. Micro-credentials and rapid response
The Technical Education Council discussed specialised micro-credentials in August 2026. The proposal recognises them with boundaries: they demonstrate specific skills, not degrees or diplomas, and disclose outcomes, volume, level and stackability. Workers can update quickly without devaluing major qualifications.
Proposed governance model
| Body | Primary responsibility | Statutory contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Council of Ministers / National Council | Shared policy and coordination | Adopt national skills frameworks and shared standards and monitor outcomes |
| Ministry of Education | Schools and school vocational education | Link programmes to qualifications, local demand and progression |
| Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research | Technical institutes, colleges and universities | Integrate applied qualifications, micro-credentials and vocational-graduate pathways |
| Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs | Employment-related training and private-centre licensing | Connect training to employment, qualifications and prior-learning recognition |
| Ministry of Planning | Data and development plans | Technical secretariat and governorate and sector labour-market and skills profiles |
| Employers and workers | Labour-market expertise | Formal participation in standards, apprenticeships and sector councils |
Qualifications framework and progression pathways
The Law does not create a new numbered ladder before reviewing the structure adopted by Decision No. (99) of 2021. It establishes outcome-based levels statutorily and authorises updated descriptions. Every national qualification should be verifiable in one register, with routes between units, vocational and technical study, and work experience and qualifications.
| Instrument | Purpose | Safeguard |
|---|---|---|
| Full qualification | Demonstrate a complete occupational or technical level | Accredited programme and assessment; national registration |
| Learning unit | Independent component of a larger qualification | Clear outcomes and stackability |
| Micro-credential | Specific skill or emerging technology | Not marketed as a degree; level and volume disclosed |
| Recognition of prior learning | Document experience acquired outside formal education | Evidence and independent practical assessment |
| Bridging | Movement between vocational, technical or academic pathways | Credit equivalence and complete gaps |
Apprenticeships and workplace training
The proposed system builds on labour law rather than replacing it. Training is newly linked to qualifications, occupational standards and uniform plans. Hosts cannot award qualifications alone; many skills cannot be demonstrated by education providers without real practice. Both train, while final assessment remains governed by quality and verification rules.
Protection principle: Trainee labels do not remove worker status where statutory employment elements exist. Apprenticeships may not cyclically replace paid workers with trainees.
Some vocational-school learners are under eighteen. Training in work barred to juveniles is prohibited; simulation or safe tasks substitute until age or lawful safety requirements are met.
Implementation and transition
Transition begins with inventory and classification, not cancelling certificates or centres, then qualification-register alignment, priority standards and phased prior-learning and apprenticeship implementation. The proposed core transition lasts at most three years.
- Months 0–6: Establish the Council and secretariat and inventory programmes, centres, qualifications and relevant decisions.
- Months 6–12: Launch the initial qualifications register and adopt occupational-standard and labour-market profile methodologies.
- Year Two: Pilot prior-learning recognition and accredit apprenticeships in sectors with capable training hosts.
- Year Three: Complete major-programme alignment, implement uniform indicators and first review of fields for expansion or suspended intake.
Financial and operational impact
Published data cannot support one reliable national implementation cost: costs depend on new laboratory needs, workshop condition, trainer development and digital readiness. The proposal therefore avoids false aggregate precision.
Initial costs centre on qualification registration and database integration, occupational standards, assessor training, prior-learning programmes and safety and laboratory improvements in priority institutions. The Council and secretariat use existing institutions and staff without a new independent authority.
Operating costs mainly involve equipment and consumables, professional development, external assessment and graduate tracking. Investments should reflect sectors and localities rather than identical equipment distribution. Workplace partnerships may reduce equipment costs but do not remove the state's duty to provide minimally safe educational infrastructure.
Financing approach: Existing-body budgets, redirected current training, disclosed private contributions and nationally registered international grants and projects. No skills levy or separate fund is created now; new compulsory instruments require legislation and separate fiscal and economic assessment.
Alignment with applicable legislation
Ministry of Education Law No. (22) of 2011, amended by Law No. (9) of 2025: Remains the school-vocational institutional reference. Specialisation, curriculum, assessment and bridging instructions require updating to align with qualifications and occupational standards.
Amended Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research Law No. (40) of 1988: Remains the higher-education and technical-university reference. The proposal neither replaces university accreditation nor authorises Council interference in academic affairs; it connects applied qualifications, labour markets and vocational routes.
Labour Law No. (37) of 2015: Training, contract, safety and employment provisions remain. Substantive employment relationships follow labour law; qualification levels, registration and quality follow this proposal.
Private Vocational Training Centre Licensing Instructions No. (1) of 2024: Continue with amendments distinguishing licensed centres from programmes authorised to award national qualifications. Permission to run courses does not make every certificate nationally recognised.
Council of Ministers Decision No. (99) of 2021: Is not repealed. The Law gives qualifications a higher legislative basis while existing rules continue until updated.
International obligations and standards
Iraq ratified ILO Human Resources Development Convention No. (142) on 26 July 1978. Its core is comprehensive coordinated employment-linked guidance and vocational training and lifelong expansion with employers and workers. The proposed council, data, guidance and continuing training serve an existing international obligation.
The proposal also draws on ILO Quality Apprenticeships Recommendation No. (208) of 2023, especially written agreements, remuneration, safety, social protection, non-discrimination and tripartite partnership. Recommendations are not treaties requiring ratification but modern standards useful for national law.
UNESCO's 2015 TVET Recommendation places vocational education within lifelong learning, decent work, inclusion, equity and sustainability. The proposal reflects this through adult pathways, prior-learning recognition, green and digital skills and provision beyond formal education.
Sources and references
- Constitution of the Republic of Iraq 2005 — Iraqi Council of Representatives
Constitutional foundation for education, work and educational responsibilities.
https://iq.parliament.iq/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%8A/ - Ministry of Education Law No. (22) of 2011 — Iraqi Local Governance Law Library
Reference for Ministry powers, vocational education, centres and courses.
https://www.iraq-lg-law.org/ar/content/%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%B1%D9%82%D9%85-22-%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%A9-2011-0_order-changed-sort-asc - Ministry of Justice — Iraqi Gazette No. 4841: Law No. (9) of 2025, first amendment to Ministry of Education Law
Establishes the first amendment published on 22 September 2025.
https://www.moj.gov.iq/view.9724/ - Ministry of Justice — Iraqi Gazette No. 4386: Labour Law No. (37) of 2015
Official publication reference including vocational-training provisions.
https://www.moj.gov.iq/view.1925/ - Iraqi Gazette No. 4781 — Private Vocational Training Centre Licensing Instructions No. (1) of 2024
Regulates private-centre licensing under labour law.
https://moj.gov.iq/upload/pdf/4781_81.pdf - Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research — Amended Ministry Law No. (40) of 1988
Reference for higher and technical education institutions.
https://mohesr.gov.iq/ar/post/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%86-2021-09-21-11 - Iraq National Education Strategy 2022–2031 — Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Defines TVET challenges, expansion, integration and qualification-framework objectives.
https://dirasat.mohesr.gov.iq/assets/documents/files/National-Strategy-Education.pdf - Ministry of Planning — Technical and Vocational Qualifications Framework and Council of Ministers Decision No. (99) of 2021
Documents system adoption through Council of Ministers Decision No. 99 of 2021.
https://hci.mop.gov.iq/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A3%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D9%81%D9%84-%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%B5-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%86%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%A9-%D9%88%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AA-2023.pdf - UNESCO – Reforming TVET in Iraq
Reference for governance reform, demand-led training, labour-market analysis and private-sector partnership.
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/reforming-tvet-iraq?hub=66973 - UNESCO — Strengthening Data-Driven TVET Planning for Iraq's Green and Digital Economy, 1 June 2026
Documents the 2026 assessment and digital, green and governorate-specific planning needs.
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/strengthening-data-driven-tvet-planning-iraqs-green-and-digital-economy - UNESCO — Labour Market Assessment: Green and Digital Skills for Employment in Iraq, 17 September 2026
Latest published TVET III labour-market assessment available at the document date.
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/labour-market-assessment - Ministry of Higher Education — Technical education and vocational-graduate pathways, 25 July 2026
Documents inter-ministerial coordination and continuing vocational-graduate admissions pathways.
https://mohesr.gov.iq/ar/post/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%AA%D8%A4%D9%83%D8%AF-%D8%AF%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%86%D9%8A-%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%81%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%AE%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AC%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%87%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%B5%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%AA-2026-07-25-15 - Ministry of Higher Education — Sixth Technical Education Council meeting, 22 August 2026
Documents 2026 polytechnic, micro-credential and technical-education developments.
https://mohesr.gov.iq/ar/post/%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%82%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%B3-%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AC%D9%84%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%86%D9%8A-2026-08-22-15 - ILO NORMLEX – Ratifications for Iraq: C142 Human Resources Development Convention
Establishes Iraq's ratification of Convention No. 142 on 26 July 1978 and its continuing force.
https://wwwex.ilo.org/dyn/f?p=1000:11200:0::NO:11200:P11200_COUNTRY_ID:102974 - ILO – Convention No. 142 Human Resources Development
Requires integrated employment-linked vocational guidance and training and lifelong learning.
https://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO:12100:P12100_INSTRUMENT_ID:312287:NO - ILO CEACR – Observation adopted 2025, published 2026 on Iraq
Confirms needs for employment coordination, prior-learning recognition, apprenticeships and transition data.
https://wwwex.ilo.org/dyn/f?p=1000:13100:0::NO:13100:P13100_COMMENT_ID,P13100_COUNTRY_ID:4458572,102974 - ILO – Decent Work Country Programme for Iraq 2026–2029
Modern framework for skills, employment, private-sector development and social protection.
https://www.ilo.org/resource/report/decent-work-country-programme-2026-2029 - ILO – Guide for Policymakers, Quality Apprenticeships Recommendation No. 208
Modern apprenticeship safeguards: written agreements, remuneration, safety and social protection.
https://www.ilo.org/publications/guide-policymakers-quality-apprenticeships-recommendation-2023-no-208 - UNESCO – Recommendation concerning Technical and Vocational Education and Training (2015)
International TVET standard framing it within lifelong learning and decent work.
https://www.unesco.org/en/legal-affairs/standard-setting/recommendations
Official Iraqi sources establish legal and institutional status; international and academic sources explain policy, quality and comparisons. International programmes do not replace Iraqi legislative authority.