Today, January 29, a press conference was held at the Central Communications Service under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the topic "A new model of engineering personnel training".
The briefing was attended by Gulzhan Zharasova, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Higher and Postgraduate Education of the Ministry of Higher and Postgraduate Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nurlan Kyzylbayev, Vice-Provost for Academic Management of the KazNUTZU named after K.I. Satpayev, and Zhadyra Konyrbayeva, Vice-Rector for Science and Innovations of the D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan State Technical University, who touched upon the main aspects of the new model of engineering personnel training, proposed solutions and expected results.
At a meeting of the National Council for Science and Technology, the Head of State instructed to develop a national model of engineering personnel training taking into account international standards. Engineers are trained in Kazakhstan by 54 universities, where more than 103 thousand students study. 1494 programs in the field of engineering were included in the register of educational programs, 870 of which were updated in accordance with professional standards.
Gulzhan Zharasova noted that major initiatives have been launched to address the problems of engineering education in Kazakhstan. In particular, the modernization of educational programs, the internationalization of education, the development of digital infrastructure, early career guidance, the creation of academic and research priority centers, and the introduction of the "industrial PhD" mechanism. Last year, 71% of programs were updated taking into account the requirements of the modern labor market.
The Ministry of Science and Higher Education is actively working to transform Kazakhstan into an educational hub of Central Asia, having established 34 strategic partnerships with higher education institutions in 12 countries. The speaker noted that branches of foreign universities will be created to train specialists in areas that are in demand at the local level.
"Most of the programs are aimed at training technical specialists, taking into account the needs of industries and the demands of regions. For example, the Heriot-Watt University branch at Aktobe University trains specialists in electrical engineering, energy and mining; the RKU branch at Taraz University trains specialists in chemistry and chemical technology, and the consortium of German universities in Aktau trains specialists in logistics, energy and environmental engineering. This approach makes graduates in demand in local and international labor markets,” said Gulzhan Sagidollakyzy.
At a meeting with media representatives, Nurlan Kyzylbayev spoke about the introduction of a new model of engineering training at Satbayev University. The engineering education model is aimed at updating educational programs taking into account the requirements of the labor market. The university is actively introducing innovations, offering courses in robotics, artificial intelligence, sustainability and digital technologies, creating modern laboratories and research centers.
“The goal of the new model of education at Satbayev University is to train specialists with knowledge and skills that fully meet the requirements of modern industry and economic sectors,” Nurlan Kuttybayev noted.
Within the framework of the new model, Satbayev University is actively developing international partnerships and offering double degree programs with leading universities in the USA, Great Britain, Germany, Korea and other countries. The university also cooperates with industrial partners such as KAZ Minerals, Samruk-Energo and Alageum Electric, offering students internships and practice opportunities at real enterprises. Special attention is paid to the “Industrial PhD” program and dual education aimed at solving industrial problems.
Zhadyra Konyrbayeva spoke about the experience of EKSTU in implementing the national model of engineering education aimed at reducing the “gap” between real production and academic training. She noted the importance of training engineers in universities closely linked to industry. The university adheres to the principles of the European system and incorporates elements of the practice-oriented American education system, combining best practices to train competitive specialists. The basis of the East Kazakhstan University approach is the CDIO model, which is aimed at combining theoretical knowledge with practical skills.
“The implementation of the model in our university is carried out through projects such as project management and network engineering schools, engineering education leaders, Fab Lab, and academic and research priority centers. An important aspect is the strengthening of physical and mathematical training and the introduction of disciplines with elements of the theory of solving inventive problems,” Zhadyra Tusikhanovna noted.
The speaker also noted the Lu Ban workshop, equipped with a Chinese partner for more than a million dollars.The workshop is equipped with modern equipment from Chinese manufacturers, where 400 students from 8 countries are studying.
Konyrbayeva noted the importance of introducing new programs such as "Smart Technologies and Artificial Intelligence in Automotive Engineering", as well as the creation of a center for certification of engineering personnel, which will contribute to improving the quality of education and its compliance with the requirements of the labor market.
As part of the integration of academic education with industry, 25 academic and research priority centers have been created on the basis of the country's leading universities. From September 1, 2024, training for "industrial PhD" began on the basis of 8 universities in collaboration with large companies such as "Kazminsk" and "Kazchrome". This direction is designed to train highly qualified specialists to introduce innovations into the industry.
Thus, Kazakhstan is actively developing its engineering education system, making efforts to train specialists in demand for local and international labor markets.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/sci/press/news/details/926910