A New Model of Technical and Vocational Education

The systemic decisions of the Head of the State Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev aimed at developing technical and vocational education have opened up new opportunities for modernizing this sector. In recent years, the state funding has increased, the state educational order has expanded, student enrollment has grown, and the practice of dual training has developed further.

Our task now is to turn these opportunities into concrete results that meet the real needs of the labor market and the economy. Our goal is to build a system that trains qualified specialists in demand in modern industry.

State Support and Concrete Results

Today, more than 556,000 students are studying in 763 colleges across the country. Over the past three years, funding for the technical and vocational education system has grown by 34.1 percent, reaching KZT 424.9 billion in the 2025–2026 academic year. The volume of the state educational order has increased from 344,900 places in the 2023–2024 academic year to 393,300 places in 2025–2026.

Over the same period, the number of graduates rose from 141,300 to 169,200. The number of graduates employed in their field increased from 72,000 to 90,600. The total number of employed graduates reached 112,700.

Measures of social support for students have also been expanded. The stipend has doubled, reaching KZT 43,000. Dormitory provision comprises 95.4 percent. These measures not only improve the access to vocational education but also create more favorable conditions for young people to study.

Educational Content Is Adapting to the Labor Market

The content of technical and vocational education is being updated to reflect changes in the labor market. On the basis of 552 professional standards, 14,494 educational programs have been developed, of which 4,348 are designed for training in trade qualifications.

Specialties with low demand are being reviewed: 66 educational programs that did not meet the labor market requirements have been removed from the register. At the same time, 20 new specialties have been added to the classifier, and 243 educational programs have been developed in these areas.

To broaden students’ professional opportunities, micro-qualifications and additional Minor programs are being introduced. Skills in using artificial intelligence tools in professional work are being included in educational programs for trade qualifications. The register of educational programs has been integrated with the Career Enbek platform of the National Qualifications System, which makes it possible to link educational content directly to professional standards.

The Needs of the Economy Are Becoming the Main Benchmark

In the coming years, the load on the vocational education system will grow. By 2030, Kazakhstan’s population is projected to reach 21.6 million, and the number of young people aged 15–28 is projected to reach 4.6 million. The number of young people aged 15 to 18 will rise from 1.1 million to 1.5 million. The annual labor market demand will amount to 225,000–256,000 people. More than 70% of in-demand specialties belong to the technical and vocational education system.

According to the medium-term forecast, by 2030 the demand for skilled workers will exceed 1.8 million people. This includes 183,000 specialists needed for industry, 102,000 for construction, 73,000 for agriculture, and 12,000 for the IT sector.

In certain fields, a significant gap persists between the volume of workforce training and the needs of the economy. The construction field requires 102,000 specialists, yet only 22,400 students are studying in this field. In agriculture, the demand is 73,000 specialists against 12,700 students. It is therefore important to shape the state educational order with regard to the real workforce needs of regions and industries.

To address these tasks, the Roadmap for the Transformation of the Technical and Vocational Education System for 2025–2027 is being implemented. The main work is focused on aligning workforce training with the needs of the economy, expanding business participation, updating the content of education, and raising the prestige of trade professions.

Quality Education Begins with a Strong Teacher

The quality of education in a college depends directly on the professional level of a teacher. Today, 42,901 teachers work in technical and vocational education institutions, 95.4 percent of whom hold a higher education degree. A total of 1,934 industry specialists has been brought into colleges to teach.

Work on teachers’ professional development continues. A total of 9,245 teachers has completed professional development courses, 17,487 teachers have been trained in applying digital technologies and artificial intelligence in the teaching process, and 132 teachers have completed internships abroad.

The next stage will continue teacher training based on international methodologies, certification against industry standards, internships at leading enterprises, and the development of professional and soft skills through mentoring. Simplifying the attestation procedure for teachers who have confirmed an international qualification is also under consideration.

Colleges’ Ties with the Industry Are Strengthening

The quality of workforce training also depends directly on colleges’ material and technical base. With funds from local executive bodies and employers, 174 colleges have been equipped, and another 13 colleges have been equipped with support from subsoil users. In addition, 13 modern colleges with 20,000 places are planned to be built in 11 regions.

Today, 4,126 enterprises cooperate with 613 colleges.

Enterprises take part in upgrading the material and technical base, bringing in industry specialists, organizing internships, and employing graduates.

Such partnership makes it possible to bring college training as close as possible to the real requirements of the industry.

Dual Training Is Expanding

Dual training is one of the main mechanisms combining theoretical studies with practical work experience. Over the past three years, the number of students covered by it has grown from 108,000 to 138,200. Today, 552 colleges provide dual training together with 11,700 enterprises.

The next task is to engage enterprises more actively in regions with lower indicators and to bring dual training coverage to at least 40 percent. This will allow students to gain experience in a real production environment while still studying, and employers to participate directly in training future specialists.

International Standards and Professional Skills

Kazakhstan’s colleges are gradually adapting to international industry requirements. Today, the educational programs of 27 colleges have been assessed for compliance with the international industry requirements. By the end of 2027, other 30 colleges are expected to undergo such an assessment.

As a result of the international accreditation, more than 100 teachers and more than 300 students have received certificates and accreditations recognized internationally. These requirements cover the oil and gas industry, construction, energy, accounting and auditing, welding, engineering, and IT.

The WorldSkills movement occupies a special place in developing young people’s professional skills. At the TurkicSkills 2025 championship, Kazakhstan’s team won six gold medals. At EuroSkills Herning 2025, Kazakhstan’s participants received seven Medallions for Excellence.

In 2026, at the Global Skills Challenge in Australia, Ramazan Nurlan, a student of the Astana Polytechnic Higher College, won a gold medal in the Mechatronics competency and received the special Best of Nation award. At the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 world championship, Ruslan Nesterenko won a bronze medal in the Unmanned Aerial Systems competency. A number of Kazakhstan’s students were awarded Medallions for Excellence, and Kamila Aliyeva received the Best of Nation award.

For us, WorldSkills is not just a competition. It is a professional platform that makes it possible to benchmark the quality of Kazakhstan’s vocational education against international requirements and objectively assess the real level of training.

A New Stage of Partnership with Germany

Partnership with Germany remains one of the important areas of international cooperation. During the official visit of the Head of the State Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev to Germany, new agreements were reached on expanding cooperation in technical and vocational education.

A Joint Declaration of Intent on cooperation in technical and vocational education and training was signed with Karin Prien, Germany’s Federal Minister of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.

The meeting covered the development of the dual training, internships for students and teachers, the exchange of experience between colleges, and digitalization and the use of artificial intelligence in vocational education.

At the Kazakh-German business forum, the Head of the hState praised Germany’s dual system and proposed creating a network of Kazakh-German industrial competence centers directly linked to the implementation of major investment projects.

Practical experience has already been accumulated in this area. Almaty Construction and Technical College has cooperated with GROHE, KNAUF, and BOSCH companies for many years. Over more than 20 years of cooperation with KNAUF, more than two thousand students have been trained. The next task is not to leave such partnerships at the level of individual projects, but to turn them into systemic practice.

Career Guidance Begins at School

Career guidance towards trade professions must begin as early as school. A unified media plan for the 2026–2027 academic year has been approved.

One thousand specialized classes have been opened in schools, and the Mansap Compass platform has been launched for students of grades 7–11. Agricultural classes have begun operating in three pilot regions.

The effectiveness of career guidance depends on the joint work of the state, the college, and the employer. The state creates an opportunity for free education, the college trains competitive specialists, and the employer provides decent working conditions and opportunities for professional growth.

The Main Criterion Is the Graduate’s Result

The ultimate result of all changes in the technical and vocational education system must be measured by how in demand a college graduate is in the labor market. Our main goal is to bring the training of skilled workers as close as possible to the needs of the economy and industry.

Going forward, work will continue on adapting educational programs to technological change in production, strengthening practical training, expanding partnerships with enterprises, introducing international standards, and increasing the employment of graduates in trade professions.

A modern college should not be merely a place where education is provided. It should become an environment that connects industry and education, a young specialist and an employer, national experience and international standards. Then the result of vocational education will be seen in a specific person: a qualified specialist who masters his/her profession, can work with new technologies, and contributes to the development of the country’s economy.

Zhuldyz SULEIMENOVA,

Minister of Education

of the Republic of Kazakhstan

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ABSTRACT

Kazakhstan is actively modernizing the system of technical and vocational education. The funding, state order, students' scholarships are considerably rising. Curricula are viewed under the real demands of the labor market, leaving aside old professions and by entering skills to work with AI. The education is being intensified by means of the dual system at enterprises, exchanging experience with other countries and renovations of the colleges' bases. The main target, set by the system of technical and vocational education is overcoming personnel deficiency in key fields and training personnel at international level.