Higher College of IT and Emerging Technologies: Integrating into the Global Education Landscape

The Higher College of IT and New Technologies in Abai Region, located in eastern Kazakhstan, is actively engaged in international activities: dual-degree programs with leading IT universities and partners, academic mobility, and the launch of joint digital products. The college is a participant in the WorldSkills movement. In an interview with our magazine, the college director, Shamshiya KUMASHEVA, explains how these initiatives work in practice and what they offer to students and faculty.

– Shamshiya Kairbekovna, what new opportunities and priorities does the internationalization of education open up for your college?

– One of the main directions in modernizing our educational programs is harmonizing them with international professional requirements. For example, in the "Software Engineering" specialty, we have integrated practical elements from WorldSkills areas such as Web Design, Graphic Design Technology, and Mobile Applications Development. In the specialty "System of Cybersecurity," we have incorporated Cyber Security and other modern IT competencies.

This adaptation is reflected above all in learning outcomes, the content of practical assignments, and the methods used to assess students' professional skills. Students are not limited to theoretical knowledge – they complete practical tasks close to WorldSkills formats, working with modern technology and professional equipment. As a result, international standards have become a tool that prepares students to apply their acquired skills in a real professional environment.

– How is the college's international cooperation developing? What international projects is the college involved in?

– Work in this area is carried out through the development of academic mobility, the introduction of international educational standards, expanding cooperation with teaching staff from different countries, conducting joint research, using foreign languages in international professional communication, and adopting technologies proven effective in global educational practice.

The High College of IT and New Technologies is currently participating in the following international projects:

• Joint double-degree programs and academic mobility programs with Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics (TUSUR, Russian Federation);

• Joint double-degree programs and academic mobility programs with the Kazan College of Information Technologies and Communications (Russian Federation);

• Double-degree education programs with the KARIS, KCCE, and KAVE Association (South Korea) are planned to be launched in the future;

• Establishment of an AI laboratory as part of the college's participation in the Kazakh-Chinese Educational Alliance;

• Academic mobility and joint projects under a signed memorandum with Vocational Lyceum No. 100 of the Kyrgyz Republic;

• The ISATCOVE project (International Self-Assessment Tool for Centres of Vocational Excellence) – an international European system for self-assessing the quality of vocational education, developed with the support of the European Training Foundation (ETF) and the European Union.

– Proximity to your neighbor, the Russian Federation, surely contributes to your active cooperation in this area? Could you tell us more about the projects with Russian partners.

– Yes, one of the largest projects within the college's international partnership framework is cooperation with Russian universities, particularly TUSUR, which ranks among the top 10 Russian universities in the IT field. Our cooperation with this Tomsk-based university began in 2019.

Within this partnership, we established the KZ RU Digital Skills Academy at the college. Our main achievement is the launch of double-degree and applied bachelor's degree programs.

Our students study for one year at the college, two years at TUSUR, and complete their work placement at Roscosmos enterprises. In addition, our students receive international certificates upon graduation.

Today our cooperation has naturally grown to include another promising direction – the joint development of real digital products. In the frame of further development of cooperation, a joint design of digital products, focused on the solution of practical tasks of educational process is planned. One of the promising projects will be a creation of an AI assistant based on the RAG technology that operates in Kazakh and Russian. The chatbot is designed to quickly provide applicants and students with information on admission rules, educational programs, dormitories, and educational pathways between the college and TUSUR, based on the official documents of both organizations.

In this project, the competencies of both sides will mutually complement each other: the college will develop the web and mobile interface, collect and structure documents, and test the system with real users. TUSUR will be responsible for the RAG pipeline, embeddings, the evaluation of answer quality, and the creation of the verification mechanisms that reduce the risk of the AI generating inaccurate information.

The main distinctive feature of the project will be its creation from a genuine practical need. It will be implemented within a single semester without additional costly equipment. Most importantly, students will have an opportunity to participate in the development of technological solutions that will be applied in prospect in the everyday work of both the college and the university. In this way, the international partnership will go beyond the level of academic exchange and will turn to the level of joint development and technology creation.

We have also established close partnerships with other neighboring countries. Recently, the leadership of Vocational Lyceum No. 100 of the Kyrgyz Republic visited us, and we signed a mutual memorandum. This will strengthen professional ties between TVET organizations in the Central Asian region and give a powerful impetus to the joint development of the regional educational space.

– How does the international WorldSkills movement influence the college's development and the improvement of training to international standards?

– Our students compete in WorldSkills across 16 competencies. We have achieved a great deal: in 2024, at the championship in Abu Dhabi, we won a gold medal in the "Mobile Robotics" competency, and at the world championship in Lyon we received a Medallion for Excellence.

In 2026, at the WorldSkills international championship Shanghai 2026, a student of our college Ayan Aitkazin represented Kazakhstan in the Electronics competency. Ayan twice won the national championship WorldSkills Kazakhstan, taking 1st place in 2025 and 2026 and acquired the right to represent our country on the world professional stage. One of his valuable achievements was his victory at “the DOSTI Skills Kokshetau 2026” championship. Makeeev Bakhytjan Kydyrkhanovich trains and promotes Ayan’s professional skills and prepares him for world-level championships. Participation in WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 became an important step for the student as a professional and the result of a joint tandem.

WorldSkills is a great school that unites knowledge and qualifications, tempering determined young people. Through such competitions, we cultivate competitive, proactive, and professional specialists who will shape our country's future.

– The college's ties with South Korean and Chinese partners are also developing dynamically. What are they based on? What opportunities do they open up for the college's students and teachers?

– These programs open a path for the students to continue part of their education in an international environment, and for the teachers to be engaged in academic mobility and professional experience exchange. Currently, concrete educational ways and conditions to invest in programs.

Our most important news is joining the Kazakh-Chinese Educational Alliance in the field of artificial intelligence between colleges.

The establishment of the AI laboratory is being developed within the framework of the Kazakh-Chinese educational cooperation. Our Chinese partners will provide technological and methodological support, exchange experience using modern AI solutions, train teachers, and implement joint student projects.

Special mechanisms of equipping and funding of laboratories are currently being at the stage of agreement between the parties.

Our goal covers not only an opening of a new office but creation of a constantly working practical platform where students will be able to develop real AI projects and for teachers to introduce modern AI-technologies into the educational process.

– What is the significance of the international ISATCOVE project in introducing advanced European experience?

– Participation in the ISATCOVE project has given us an opportunity to study advanced European standards and raise the college's institutional development to a new level. Within this project, we carried out a self-assessment process and revised our educational programs to meet the requirements of the international labor market.

As a result, a priority is given to linking learning outcomes with specific professional competencies, strengthening practical training, and expanding employer’s participation in the development and assessment of educational programs. In other words, the ISATCOVE experience is helping us move toward an approach in which the quality of education is assessed not only by academic performance but also by graduates' readiness for the labor market.

In addition, we have integrated the international vendor certification Cisco Networking Academy into our curriculum. Students gain knowledge in network technologies, cybersecurity, and programming, and receive internationally recognized certificates. To date, more than 400 of our students have earned such certificates.

In addition, we have integrated the international vendor certification Cisco Networking Academy into our curriculum. Students gain knowledge in network technologies, cybersecurity, and programming, and receive internationally recognized certificates. To date, more than 400 of our students have earned such certificates.

– The international academic community places great emphasis on inclusion. To what extent does your college's work in this area meet current global standards and norms?

– Drawing on advanced international experience, our college considers inclusive education one of its core values. Today, 70 students with special educational needs are mastering modern IT specialties, confidently taking steps towards their professional future. The college's comfortable educational environment, focused on equal opportunities for every student, encourages social responsibility among the students themselves.

One example of this is the AI-based voice assistant "AISHA," developed by students. Its main purpose is to facilitate an interaction between the user and the computer and to improve the accessibility of digital resources for students with special educational needs. The assistant helps with finding necessary information, reviewing study materials, and quickly locating forgotten information.

This technology is especially valuable for students who need additional support in memorizing and mastering educational material. It opens a path to quality education for socially vulnerable groups and their successful future employment, including at the international level.

– What are your key tasks in the further integration of the college into the international educational space?

– Internationalization is becoming a strategic foundation for the college, raising the quality of education to a new level. All previously launched initiatives are moving from the development stage into concrete shape and practical implementation. We aim to consolidate what has been achieved and further expand our international partnerships.

First and foremost, this concerns deepening double-degree programs and developing joint applied bachelor's degree programs and academic exchange together with TUSUR and other partners for students and teachers.

We will also expand our line of joint digital products. One such promising project will be the development, in partnership with TUSUR, of a bilingual AI assistant for prospective applicants.

The launch of the pilot AI laboratory within the Kazakh-Chinese Educational Alliance will also expand our capabilities both in training personnel and in developing new digital products.

At the same time, drawing on ISATCOVE standards, we will continue regular self-assessment and adaptation of our educational programs to the requirements of the international labor market, so that our graduates remain maximally competitive.

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ABSTRACT

In an interview with Shamshiya Kumasheva, Director of the High College of IT and New Technologies (Abai Region), the college's strategy for internationalization and its integration into the global educational space are examined. The conversation touches on key areas of the college's development, the implementation of WorldSkills standards, partnerships with foreign universities, colleges, and companies – including projects with TUSUR and the establishment of an AI laboratory. Particular attention is given to the practical aspects of training IT specialists, the development of an inclusive environment, and increasing the competitiveness of graduates in the global labor market.