Vocational education modernization launched in Kazakhstan

The Project of Vocational Technical Education Modernization was launched in Kazakhstan, Tengrinews.kz reported, citing the official website of Karim Massimov, Prime-Minister of Kazakhstan. The Project's management team has already started to develop professional standards that are in demand at the employment market of Kazakhstan. According to Timurlan Aktayev, director of the group, an updated education programs and curriculums will be drawn based on these standards. This will help advance qualifications of graduates. 68 best technical and vocational colleges will be provided grant funding in the amount of $22 million as part of this Project. “This money will be used to purchace equipment for the eduction facilities and upgrade skills of 700 college teachers,” Altayev said. Enchancement of the role of the English language, including teaching classes in English, is being considered for vocational schools as well. All these steps will help reduce the number of foreign workers engaged in Kazakhstan now and increase Kazakh content. “To be able to meet the demand of the industrial projects within the next five years, we would need to train 5-10 thousand profesionals in different areas, including mechanical engineering, marine transportation, oil industry and agriculture. Our project is well planned and well-timed. We will do our best to make technical and professional colleges graduates highly sought for at today's job market,” Altayev said. Earlier Kadyrbek Boribekov, director of Education Ministry's Vocational Education Department said that 68 percent of college graduates have been employed in 2011. “This is a high rate that in many other countries. I hope, this cooperation will become even better and more beneficial for our young people,” Boribekov said.