The Ecosystem of Large-Scale Investment: How Khromtau Mining and Technical Higher College is Aligning with Global Standards of Workforce Training

The mining and metallurgical complex is the foundation of Kazakhstan’s economy, attracting large-scale investment from both domestic and foreign sources. Global players are entering the sector, and advanced production lines and environmental standards are being introduced. The development of strategic investment projects and the deep digitalization of key industry-forming holdings have fundamentally changed the landscape of qualification requirements for young specialists. It is critically important for investors and major industrial partners that the level of workforce training meets high international requirements.

One of the colleges that has chosen to meet modern standards is Khromtau Mining and Technical Higher College in Aktobe Region. The college actively proves its high level of training in practice. It hosts prestigious professional skills championships: it is a venue for regional ERG Skills championships, where students demonstrate top-class skills in welding technologies, electrical installation, and other competencies. The college also serves as a national experimental site for the introduction of the dual education system, is implementing international industry accreditation, and cooperates with educational institutions in other countries.

Current learning technologies

Khromtau Mining and Technical Higher College works in very close connection with real industry. Its partners are industrial flagships: Donskoy Mining and Processing Plant (Donskoy GOK) – a branch of JSC “TNC Kazchrome”, LLP “Voskhod-Chrome”, “Aktobe Copper Company”, “Energosistema”, and other leading enterprises.

A striking example of the technological shift taking place in the development of the mining and metallurgical industry is ERG’s large-scale investment project – the construction and launch of the high-tech “smart mine” “Bolashak” at Donskoy GOK in Aktobe Region. Extracting ore at ultra-deep horizons (down to 1,200 meters) in complex mining and geological conditions required abandoning traditional approaches and fully adopting automation technologies, unmanned and self-propelled equipment, and systems that minimize human presence in hazardous areas. Khromtau Mining and Technical Higher College strives to integrate organically into this modern ecosystem.

Thanks to the support of the Eurasian Group (ERG) and participation in the national “Zhas Maman” project, a modern Competence Center for the mining and metallurgical industry has been established at the college. Advanced equipment that meets global standards has been purchased. The college acts as the region’s educational and industrial hub.

Before the large-scale modernization, technical and trade specialties were often associated in the minds of schoolchildren and parents with heavy, routine physical labor and outdated learning conditions. After the launch of the Competence Center for the mining and metallurgical industry, the perception of these professions changed qualitatively.

An opportunity to study using interactive simulators, virtual training grounds, and digital stands has made learning technological and modern, raising the prestige of engineering and technical fields. This has led to an increase in enrollment and in the quality of applicants. The share of applicants with high school-certificate scores who consciously choose technical qualifications has risen significantly.

Thanks to the updated facilities and the high status of its graduates in the labor market, the college is seeing steadily growing competition for admission.

The average competition ratio for the main specialized programs – mining electromechanics, technical operation of equipment, mineral processing, automation – is 2–3 applicants per place. For some high-tech programs it is up to 4 applications.

Direct employment of graduates of specialized technical programs at partner enterprises is 85–90%. 

The overall employment rate, taking into account conscription into the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan and admission to specialized universities for shortened-program tracks, exceeds 95%.

Graduates trained at the Competence Center arrive at the enterprise with already developed practical skills in operating and diagnosing equipment, which shortens the standard adaptation period from 12 months to 1–2 months.

International accreditation

Understanding that the modern labor market erases borders, the college’s leadership has made the strategic decision not to rest on its achievements but to introduce international industry accreditation.

Within the framework of the Roadmap and in cooperation with the APEC Training Center, the college is confidently moving towards international recognition of its programs. The standards of globally recognized expert organizations are being introduced, one of which is the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER, USA).

International accreditation offers a great deal to both the college and society. First, it reorients curricula towards the real demands of global industry. Second, it grants the right to issue graduates certificates of international standard, which opens new employment and career horizons for them. The third important point is an opportunity to conduct independent certification not only of students but also of current employees of industrial enterprises. As a result, there is potential to reduce the shortage of personnel and to replace foreign labor with highly qualified local specialists.

The successful pilot of the NCCER accreditation system gave momentum to scaling the experience to the key specialized areas of the mining and metallurgical complex.

At present, the college’s leadership, together with the Alliance of Colleges and ERG, is planning to expand the pool of international programs and transfer international standards to the specialties “Underground Mining of Mineral Deposits” and “Mineral Processing”.

The Alliance of Colleges and ERG is a partnership ecosystem created in November 2022 to train qualified engineering, technical, and skilled-trade personnel for the real needs of Kazakhstan’s mining and metallurgical complex. The creation of the Alliance made it possible to unite key colleges in the regions where the companies operate (Aktobe, Pavlodar, and Kostanay regions) with ERG enterprises in a single educational and industrial platform.

The creation of the Alliance has opened up additional resources and development opportunities for colleges. These include adapting educational programs to the requirements of real production, completing work placements at ERG facilities, participating in the annual corporate ERGSkills championship held by WorldSkills standards, ERG scholarships for the best students, internships for teachers and industrial-training instructors at ERG plants and processing complexes, and international internships. ERG invests in equipping workshops and in purchasing simulators, VR systems, and laboratory stands at the educational institutions that are members of the Alliance.

For Khromtau Mining and Technical Higher College, joining the Alliance of Colleges and ERG is a key development vector that ensures direct, seamless employment of graduates at the facilities of JSC “TNC Kazchrome”.

Geography of international cooperation

Since November 2025, Khromtau Mining and Technical Higher College has been cooperating with the Chinese company Shaanxi Shanping Shuren Educational Technology Co., Ltd. The parties exchange experience in developing vocational education and organize and hold educational and cultural events: guest lectures, seminars, webinars, and conferences. Academic mobility programs for students and teachers are being implemented, including familiarization visits and internships, and joint educational and research projects are being developed and carried out. Educational and methodological materials and innovative teaching practices are also exchanged.

The college’s longest-standing partner, since 2007, is Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University (Russia). The cooperation is based on a tripartite agreement involving Donskoy GOK, which acts as the social partner and funds the program. The university takes part in training graduates who meet the modern requirements of mining enterprises and in delivering specialized engineering-oriented educational programs. Work is carried out continuously to identify and develop motivated and talented students and to create conditions for choosing engineering specialties that are the priorities for the economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The joint work contributes to scientific achievements at interregional and international olympiads and competitions and to implementing a career-guidance model for priority engineering fields.

On the basis of a tripartite memorandum concluded in 2026 between the “Alabuga” Special Economic Zone of the industrial-production type (Russia, Tatarstan), the Center for International Education and Innovation and Khromtau Mining and Technical Higher College, cooperation has begun on joint projects and programs for career guidance and adaptation of students, information support and assistance in selecting candidates for the “Alabuga Start” program, and the employment of citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan under this program.

 

Opinions of industry partners

K. Davletalin, Director for Equipment Maintenance and Repair (Donskoy GOK): “Today, graduates of the college arrive at the plant with a completely different level of training. Thanks to the introduction of NCCER international standards, these young people have developed digital thinking and a safety culture. They are not afraid of complex hydraulic automation and microprocessor systems. For our enterprise this means a significant reduction in the time needed for internship and adaptation. We fully support the college’s plans to extend international standards to the mining and ore-processing specialties – this is exactly what the transformation of Donskoy GOK’s processing and underground facilities requires.”

Sh. Bagautdinov, PiC Director of Donskoy GOK: “Khromtau Mining and Technical Higher College is a dynamic educational partner that responds to our needs faster than the market changes. The introduction of independent international certification confirms the high level of its graduates. The employer’s wish is not to slow down the pace achieved and to continue active work on international industry accreditation in order to train specialists for the tasks of modernized production facilities and processing plants.”

Working at enterprises of the mining and metallurgical complex is associated with stability, social security, and high wages. Industry today is ready to pay well to those who master advanced technologies. The experience of Khromtau Mining and Technical Higher College shows that an active stance makes it possible to organize training so as to produce a fully prepared, successful graduate who has a prestigious job waiting. The integration of the state, large business investment in the form of ERG and other companies, the support of expert platforms such as the APEC Training Center, and the ambition of the college’s leadership and entire staff create a unique synergy that contributes to the technological and economic prosperity of the country.

Bagdashzhan MULDASHEVA,

Director of Khromtau Mining

and Technical Higher College

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ABSTRACT

Khromtau Mining and Technical Higher College in Aktobe Region aims to reach global standards in workforce training. The college is a member of the Alliance of Colleges and ERG, develops partnerships with universities and companies in Russia and China, and serves as a venue for regional ERG Skills championships, where students demonstrate top-class skills in welding technologies, electrical installation, and other competencies.