Torino Process 2018–2020 Kazakhstan - National Report

In 2017, the proportion of the working-age population grew by 0.5% compared to 2014. In 2018, the number of economically active people  was 9.139 million, increasing by 2% over a 5-year period. The labor force participation rate has declined by 0.7% (Figure 4). 

In the country main instrument for regulating the demand and supply of specialists to the labor market, ensuring the interaction of the spheres of education and the labor market is NQF. In Kazakhstan the NQF is in the formation stage.

In 2016 a new methodology for the development of the IQF was adopted, more than 30 sectoral frameworks of qualifications were updated and approved. In 2019, it is planned to develop 38 IQF in priority sectors and update the NQF in the levels of technical and professional education.

Since 2012, 449 professional standards have been developed in Kazakhstan, covering all priority sectors of the economy and 1686 workers' professions, 369 employees.

In 2016 with the adoption of the new Labor Code of the RK, the functions to approve professional standards were transferred to the NCE «Atameken».

According to the results of the employers focus groups conducted in the framework of the study «TRP in Kazakhstan» at the regional level in 2017-2018, employers are not fully satisfied with the training of the personnel of the TVET system.

 At the state level, measures are being taken to solve these problems:
 For the legislative provision of the NQF, amendments to The Labor Code  and in this introduced in particular responsible authorities for the development of all components of the NQF are identified.

Since 2016 work on the NQF has been continuing under the Partnership Agreement between The Government of the RK and For Reconstruction and Development under the project «Development of Labor skills and Promotion of Jobs». The term of this project is 5 years (2016-2020). As part of this project 106 professional standards were approved (Source http://atameken.kz/).

Assessment of the sufficiency of knowledge and skills of graduates is carried out through independent certification of specialists. Assessment of level of professional training of TVET graduates since 2016 has been transferred to a competitive environment. In 2018, 33 certification centers were established, which are included in the register , which is maintained by the NCE according to the LRK on «National Chamber of Entrepreneurs». Most of these centers operate in associations.

Colleges, working with certification centers and industry associations, using the results of graduates' certification, concluded that changes should be made to the organization and content of the college learning process to improve the quality of training. In 2018, however the proportion of independently certified graduates declined by 9% compared to 2017 (in 2017- 44%, 2018-35%). Decrease in the proportion of certified graduates occurred due to changes in the NLA, certification was no longer mandatory.

In order to ensure that graduates' skills meet the needs of the labor market, TVET system was the first to adopt a modular and competent approach to training. Updated content of educational programs based on employers' requirements for 26.8% of the specialties of TVET level. Colleges have the opportunity to change the content of the modules up to 50% (up to 80% with DT), taking into account employers' requirements. 

However, these measures do not yet provide a practical orientation for training programs. In leading international practice, employers' surveys and alumni tracking are conducted to obtain information on the relevant competencies of the labor market. In the RK methodology of these instruments should be developed and regular surveys should be conducted.

Migration processes have a significant impact on the formation of the labor market in Kazakhstan, as well as on the quality of labor resources.

In 2018, 41.8 people left the country, between 2014 and 2018, the migration balance was negative, and it increased 2.4 times over this period. (see diag. 1 block A 3.2). Mostly Kazakhstan citizens migrate to countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States 37.7 thousand, to other countries 4.1 thousand people. During the reporting period, the number of people who have been out of other countries increased by 1,284 or 31 %. (Table 13).

A negative migration balance that has emerged indicates an increase in outflow or a brain drain. In 2018, 22.4 thousand qualified personnel left Kazakhstan abroad, or 53% of them, 29% more than in 2014. There is the largest increase in the outflow of people with technical education, economists, teachers and medical workers (see Table 4). In 2018, only 4.8 thousand people of skilled personnel arrived, which is 28% less than in 2014. In general the percentage of arrivals from total amount in the RK was 38%, in 2014 - 39%. The migration balance for qualified personnel increased by 1.8 times during the reporting period (2014 - 9.7 thousand people, 2018 - 17.8 thousand people), (balance is 17.8 thousand people).

Thus, qualified specialists leave the country five times more than those arriving with a similar education, which creates a imbalance in the labor market (Table 14).

Employers use both legal and illegal foreign labor in their work. More than 500 thousand people work in the country. According to the International Organization for Human Rights 1,381,681 people (2015) temporarily staying in Kazakhstan, many indicate as the goal of the visit «private visit», «study» or «tourism», receive registration and then work without permission. Kazakhstan is currently regarded as a border country of labor migration because of low living standards in neighboring countries (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan).

As a rule, the labor legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan is not respected in relation to illegal labor migrants. They work without a labor contract, receive low wages, save on professional development, etc.

Thus, in the sphere of migration policy of the country there are the following external challenges. These are as follows:

-  risk of low-skill labor growth due to the expected influx of, first of all, migrant workers from Central Asia (see A.3.2);

-  risk of increasing outflow of skilled personnel and talented youth.

Since 2018 national program «Digital Kazakhstan»  has started in the country. Short-term vocational training programs provide modules for training in digital literacy. As of January 1, 2019, 9% of the unemployed and unproductive employed have mastered the initial level of computer literacy.

In 2018 MLSPP approved a plan to train digital literacy for social-labor service recipients, which last year trained 12% of the economically active population in digital skills.

Within the framework of the program «Digital Kazakhstan» began work on revising the content of all levels of education through the development of digital skills of all specialists.

In the republic, 16 centers of competence in it technologies (support centers) were established on the basis of the existing leading colleges, which train specialists for the digital sphere. The centers are a methodological, expert, training base for implementing the international standards of WS. The core it competence center is established in Nur-Sultan, which works in partnership with CISCO, Dynamics Technologies, KazInTech Corporation, Shag, etc. The Centers within the Program for the Development of productive Employment and Mass Entrepreneurship organize short-term courses for unemployed and unproductive self-employed citizens in the required professions and skills in the labor market, taking into account the development of digital skills.

But, despite the measures taken, there are still challenges that require policy responses:
- production and technological processes of enterprises are updated every 3-5 years, including automated, so in order to ensure the quality of training of colleges it is necessary to train students on modern equipment;
- it is necessary to develop digital skills and level of IT teachers and masters of VT.
 

Labor Code  has been amended to provide legislative support to the NQF in particular the responsible authorities for development of all components of the NQF have been identified.

Within the framework of the Agreement on Loan №8490-kz between the RK and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development of July 20, 2015, work on the NQF is continuing. The term of this project is 5 years (2016-2020).

Coordination, management and monitoring of the implementation of state programs affecting the sphere of professional education are carried out by the LEB in cooperation with the MES, MLSPP, MNE. All these projects are under the control of the Government of the RK.

According to the road map of employment - 2020, 127.3 thousand people were trained, of which 72.2% were employed.

The program, adopted in 2011, envisaged anti-crisis measures to contain the growth of unemployment and was updated to the tasks of creating conditions for the involvement of unemployed and self-employed people in productive employment. Thus, the road map of employment - 2020 has developed into the program «Development of productive employment and mass entrepreneurship for 2017 - 2021 «Enbek», the implementation of which began in 2017 (Table 15).

Special feature of this program is the involvement of self-employed, unemployed and other people without qualifications, including young people in productive employment. According to the MLSPP in 2018, 112.7 thousand tenge was allocated for the implementation of the program. The program works in 3 directions.

One of them is providing the participants of the TVET program (the project «Free TVET for all») with short-term professional training. The target group of the first-line program is persons without professional education, 9-11 grade graduates and job seekers, unemployed and members of low-income families. The Program aims to implement such tasks as TVET training in the field of labor market, short-term vocational training in the skills and skills required in the labor market, implementation of the «Serpin» project and retraining of labor resources and reduced workers (see Box C 1.3 for details).

Active measure of promoting youth employment is the project «Youth Practice», which is intended for the graduates of TVET and HEIs who completed their studies for the last three years and not older than 29 years. Work in the framework of youth practice is temporary and the duration of practice is not more than six months. At the subnational level, the project is being implemented by Employment Centers. Youth practice is covered: In 2017, 9.1%, in 2018 - 10.4% of the total number of students of TVET and HEIs.

Projects «Youth Personnel Reserve» which is aimed at forming effective managers and «With a diploma - to the village» are also important mechanisms for supporting young people. Under this project, the State offers work in rural areas with appropriate social support for young professionals, which includes the payment of a lump-sum lift allowance in the amount of 70 MNU, the issuance of a budget loan for the purchase and construction of housing for a period of 15 years and the increase of the official salary of at least 25% specialists of social institutions located in rural settlements.

In general, country is taking state measures to reduce the growth of unemployment, to establish the relationship between education and the labor market and their impact.
 

Active policy of the state in the labor market is aimed at increasing employment and reducing structural unemployment. Government programs that provide vocational retraining and retraining are helping to achieve these goals. Therefore, since the beginning of 2000, The Government of the RK regularly approves and implements state programs aimed at increasing the employment of the population, but the first programs were not comprehensive, but fragmented and did not take into account the role of TVET. 

Since 2011, Government of the RK policy is aimed at a comprehensive, consistent solution of labor market problems with the participation of state resources, including the TVET system. The implementation of state programs is aimed at ensuring that the workforce is best suited to the available jobs, that is, the supply matches the demand on the labor market.

For TVET organizations, the role in the labor market is as follows:
- career guidance work (assistance in choosing a profession and qualifications, information support, counseling and selection of educational programs); 
- training services for entering the labor market (organization of vocational training, retraining and advanced training).

For example, in Kazakhstan, there is the «Enbek» program to engage the population in employment, which provides for the active participation of TVET organizations in mass education in popular professions on a free basis on the basis of colleges.

Within the framework of state policy, vocational training programs are being implemented that provide both training at workplaces, training centers of enterprises, and in TVET schools for youth, the unemployed, as well as for older workers whose profession has become obsolete (Table 16). These programs are implemented by the employment service in partnership with TVET organizations. In addition, the regional employment centers, together with TVE organizations, hold job fairs, information support for employers and citizens about the situation on the labor market. Colleges carry out career guidance work.

Non-governmental organizations, support for the development of professional skills of the population, including among young people, is carried out through educational projects. These projects contribute to the increase in employment, the reduction of unemployment, etc. The activities envisaged under the projects are aimed at developing skills in agriculture, crafts and creativity. However, such activities are carried out one time.

System work on definition and forecasting of professional skills required in the labor market in the country is practically not conducted, there is no skill module bank and competencies necessary for forecasting in terms of occupations, which are required now and will be demanded in the nearest period.

Responsible bodies (MLSPP, JSC «CHRD», DCESP) carry out work on determining and forecasting the need for the number of workers for short and medium-term periods in specialties and professions, but do not determine and predict the demand for professional skills in the labor market.

Existing 106 professional standards reflect employers' requirements for the knowledge, skills and competencies of employees. These standards are used for the development of educational programs of TVET. But, the knowledge and skills gained by the TVET during the training period, in the market may no longer be relevant, as the educational system and labor market function at different speeds, that is, the education system develops on the basis of long-term policies and strategies, and the business structure quickly changes according to changing market requirements and technological innovations. The solution to these problems for employers is various additional training programs, such as retraining, short-term vocational training, and etc. It should be noted that the current updating of the educational programs of the TVET is taking place, taking into account the requirements of the employer.

In 2018, first steps were taken to create a system for determining and predicting professional skills. «Atlas of New professions» (international project, Russia), BTS Digital (Kazakhstan, implementation of the project in Kazakhstan) and Eurasian Group (ERG) signed a memorandum of cooperation in the development of Atlas of new professions in Kazakhstan (Atlas). In addition, Atlas will become one of the advanced tools of professional orientation, helping to understand future trends in the labor market and to identify the specialties and skills that will become relevant or appear in the next decade. Atlas's methodology is based on the Skills Technology Foresight, developed in 2014 by the International Labor Organization, the Agency for Strategic initiatives and the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo.

ERG has ordered atlas of proforientation for mining and metallurgical industry, that is why first of all the Atlas will include key branches of development of Kazakhstan: Agriculture, oil and gas, mining and mining industry, machine building, education and health care. The Atlas will allow to increase the relevance of educational services provided by the TVET system, to increase the openness of the sphere of professional education.

On the question of recognition of foreign qualifications, the country has a center of the Bologna process and academic mobility, which conducts a procedure for confirming or recognizing foreign qualifications. This procedure is carried out by the Center in accordance with the Rules for Recognition and Nostrification of Education Documents , where it gives an expert evaluation and decision on recognition of the document on education in the appropriate level of education and direction of training (specialties, qualifications, professions) with a recommendation.

There is no provision for industry associations and employers to confirm informal and informal training or recognition of foreign qualifications, including those of migrants and refugees.
 

The country provides State support for migrants, including oralmans to receive vocational education. When entering colleges or HEI for oralmans, a quota defined by the Government of RK is provided.

Since 2017, in the country's colleges, a course on the development of entrepreneurial skills for students from 20 to 36 hours at the expense of optional ones has been introduced into the educational process. But the development of entrepreneurial skills among young people is not a document at the national level.

According to the analyzes of focus groups conducted under the TRP 2018, this course is conducted by teachers of economics, law, history and teachers of special disciplines. The optional course would have a significant effect if the watch were run by entrepreneurs who are doing their business. In addition, there is not enough training material, manuals and evaluation materials to support this course.

«In the classes we learned to create a business plan. Teachers explain well, meet with entrepreneurs who told us about their success stories. But there are no books on this course, all information is taken from the Internet. I would like to have more practice and meetings with entrepreneurs. The subject is necessary and interesting for us. It would be good if the course was run by entrepreneurs»

Source: Focus groups with students.

«In order to teach the course «The Basis of entrepreneurial activity» it is necessary to attract employers and entrepreneurs. If the student owns entrepreneurial skills, he will be in demand in the labor market and less unemployed»

Source: Focus groups with employers

Statistics show that the number of self-employed workers with TVET increases every year. In 2018, compared to 2014, the number of self-employed increased by 11% (Figure 11).

Data on self-employment and business creation by the TVET graduates are monitored at the regional level by DCESP then they flow to the SC MNE. However, the data provided do not give a clear picture of the number of graduates of the reporting year who opened their case, and it is also unclear who is employer and who is self-employed.

One of the indicators of affordability of TVET is the coverage of young people of typical age. In Kazakhstan, the coverage of young people of typical age (14-24 years) in 2017 was 17%. (Source: NEDB). In the system of TVET, mainly training of middle-level specialists is conducted. The proportion of primary school graduates enrolled in the organization of TVET is no more than 40% (Тable 17, unit A).

In 2018 proportion of students in working specialties was only 25% (Source:NEDB). Education in the workplace remains unattractive for young people, even when it is free of charge. One reason is an insufficient career guidance.

The second important indicator of the availability of TVET is the proportion of students in the TVET organizations through the state order of the total number of students in the TVET organizations.

It is planned to annually increase the state order for training personnel on working qualifications at the expense of the local budget. According to the regional akimats and Almaty, Shymkent and Nur- Sultan, by 2020 the state order for workers will increase to 51%. In 2016, 49.9% of the total contingent was enrolled in the TVET at the expense of the state order, and in 2018 - 56.4% (Figure 12).

Thus, since the last round of TP this indicator has increased by 6.5% (Source: NEBD). In comparison with 2016 in all regions, except the Kostanay region, there is an increase in the proportion of students at the expense of the budget (Figure 13).

In colleges of Kazakhstan there is a surplus of student places in rural colleges and a deficit in city colleges. There is a shortage of student places in colleges of cities of republican importance, as well as in the west of the country. The surplus of student places in rural colleges is observed throughout the republic, especially a large surplus in the Pavlodar region and in the southern regions of the country. For example, if we consider the content of colleges with a contingent of up to 200 people, it is observed that there are 8 rural colleges in the WKR and the content is 41%, in the Atyrau region the content of 3 rural colleges is 40%, in the Zhambyl region the content is 39% (Figure 17).

The reasons for this situation are that rural colleges provide training in unclaimed specialties, as well as a high level of internal migration from villages to cities, especially to cities of republican significance (Table 14).

One sign of the availability of the TVET is the provision of dormitories. In the TVET for the 2018-2019 academic year there are 439 dormitories, of which 401 are own, 38 are rented. In rural areas, the availability of dormitories is 91.5%. In urban colleges, there is a shortage of places in hostels due to high internal migration from villages to cities (Table 18).

To enter the college under the TVET programs providing for the training of mid-level specialists, applicants pass entrance exams and for programs that include the training of qualified workers, they are interviewed. Admission to college is done on a competitive basis based on the results of exams and interviews. However, upon admission to college, there are no benefits for graduates of schools who have completed basic school «excellent»; the procedure for admission to college is not automated. The number of applications for one place is not centrally monitored.

In Kazakhstan, there is no data related to the socio-economic status of students and its impact on education in schools and colleges. According to focus groups in 2017, about two-thirds of college students come from large, low-income families and from families with low living wages. Some of these students study in groups on a paid basis without financial support from the state (scholarship, etc.).

 Students entering colleges for middle-level and apply for a state grant, pass entrance examinations and enroll in these examinations. Rural students are more likely to have lower socioeconomic status than urban students and lower learning outcomes, and therefore less likely to be enrolled in college. Thus, the system of state grants for the financing of TVET is not oriented to account for the socio-economic status of students.

Article 68 of the Law of the RK «On Housing Relations» defines categories of citizens belonging to socially vulnerable group : Disabled persons, participants of the Great Patriotic War and persons equated to them; disabled persons 1 and 2 groups; families having or raising children with disabilities; persons suffering from severe forms of some chronic diseases listed in the list of diseases approved by the Government; pensioners by age; orphans and children left without parental care, who have not reached 29 years, lost their parents before the age of majority; oralmans; persons deprived of their homes as a result of environmental disasters, natural and technological emergencies; mothers with many children, families of persons who died (killed) in the performance of state or public duties, military service, in the preparation or carrying out of a flight to outer space, in the rescue of human life, in the protection of the law and order; incomplete families.

Socio-vulnerable sectors of the population in Kazakhstan are defined by MLSPP, MH and MES. The existing social protection system also includes access to vocational education by this category of persons.

According to the SCSE «the working curricula and curricula of educational organizations can completely differ from the typical curricula and programs in cases: Training of specialists from among persons with special educational needs» .

Most often, the process of teaching children with the SEN ends with a school. In 2018, 2928 students with the SEN were enrolled in the country's colleges, 40.5% are female students. The largest number students with visual impairment - 23.8%, hearing impairment - 23.5%, with mental retardation - 13.5% and with musculoskeletal disorders - 9.8%. The proportion of persons with SEN is 0.6% of the number of students, while the quota of admission is 1%.

Most often, the process of teaching children with SEN ends with a school. In 2018, 2,928 students with SEN were enrolled in the country's colleges, 40.5% are female students. The largest number students with visual impairment - 23.8%, hearing impairment - 23.5%, with mental retardation - 13.5% and with musculoskeletal disorders - 9.8%. The proportion of people with SEN is 0.6% of the number of students, while the quota of admission is 1%.

Orphans and children deprived of parental care (DPC) are particularly vulnerable to the occupation of a future quality of life. In 2018, 6,542 orphans and DPC students were educated in colleges in Kazakhstan, including 2,862 (43.7%) of the female gender (Source: SC MNE).

In 2018 722 students (of which 58.6% are female) of Kazakh nationality, who are not citizens of the RK, were enrolled in colleges in Kazakhstan, which is 0.15%. In comparison with 2014, the proportion increased by 0.03%. (Source SC MNE).

According to the RK statistics in 2017, 46% of the total children's population of the RK lived in rural areas. Children living in remote communities are considered vulnerable because they have to live in a dormitory, which increases costs, or spend extra time and money on travel to the college. Children from poor families are children, living in families with income is below the subsistence minimum per family member.

According to the MES, every year from 20 to 30 thousand graduates of schools of 9 and 11 grades remain uneducated. In many ways, this is due to the lack of opportunity to pay for training. These young people are forced to seek unskilled work without any specialty. Some of them join the ranks of NEET youth, as they cannot find a job. In 2017, among the 11th grade graduates, 24 thousand people or 19% did not continue their education, 16 thousand people initially enrolled did not complete their education and dropped out, that is, were left without qualifications. Thus, the proportion of NEET youth in the 1st quarter of 2018 amounted to 9% in Kazakhstan. (Source: SC MNE). The project «Free TVET» will allow people to get an education, and employers will receive qualified specialists.

Admission of persons with SEN in colleges since 2015 increased by 10.4% and in 2018 amounted to 2720 people, of which 40% of the female sex (Figure 15).

Higher scholarship in the colleges is entitled to visually disabled and hearing disabled (75%), students equal in accordance with the Law of the RK «On benefits and social protection of participants, disabled people of the Great Patriotic War and persons equal to them» on privileges and guarantees to disabled war (50%), students from the number of orphans, children of DPC and under the care of citizens (30%), students  having according to the results of the examination session only «excellent» mark. (15%).

The number of orphans and DPC in 2018 decreased by 24% compared to 2014 (Figure 16).

For students from large and low-income families, free meals and travel are organized at the country's colleges with the help of local budget funds.

One of the problems in training people with the SEN is the lack of personnel. Current DGRK №77 from 30 January 2008 does not have full-time units to ensure equal access to education for all SEN students and individual opportunities. Only in 9 colleges work surdoteachers (13 people), in no college there are typhloteachers, oligophrenopedagogues and other necessary specialists.

According to the site «Interactive accessibility map», the educational and methodological support of the educational process of persons with SEN has certain problems. In total, 4 colleges (0.6%) have special training programs, 7 colleges (1%) have special educational and methodical manuals and only 1 college special educational literature (Source: Interactive accessibility map).

Also, the Standard rules for admission to colleges do not specify the conditions for the entrance examinations for persons with SEN. Therefore, it is necessary to create accessible conditions for those with the SEN in the entrance examinations.

Thus, the creation of conditions for equal access for all citizens to the receipt of qualitative TVET is the strategic task facing the state today.

At present psychological-medical-pedagogical consultations (PMPC), subordinate to the MES and local DE are the key obstacle to the education of children with the SEN in the general education school. The conclusion of the PMPC is in fact a permit to study in a general school. This contravenes the State's obligation to guarantee children with SEN the right to education on an equal footing with others without discrimination. The educational program should not be decided on the basis of a survey of a predominantly medical nature.

The legislation of Kazakhstan also provides for the education of children with SEN at home. Children with disabilities who have been studying at home for a long time may not receive quality education and may not enter college or HEI in the future. The proportion of children with disabilities attending home is 0.3 per cent of the total number of students enrolled in secondary school and has not changed over the past five years (Table 20).

Kazakhstan has vocational training centers and colleges under correctional facilities. Vocational training of convicts is aimed at accelerating the acquisition of new or changed professional skills. The list of trained professions and specialties is determined by the administration of the institution of the penal system in coordination with LEB . In total, according to the data as of 01.10.2018, there were 22 educational institutions with a total contingent of 2,337 people at the CCES MJ KUI (Source: MES). Persons in places of deprivation of liberty receive education in working specialties.

On April 12, 2019, a round table (seminar) was held in Nur - Sultan to discuss the thematic areas of TP. Participants described how TVET promotes youth and adults from socially disadvantaged and marginalized groups. For example, graduates of special schools for mentally retarded children were given only certificates, and as a result 1) this violated the rights of children, 2) they were not taken to college, since the admission rules provided only for admission on the basis of a certificate, 3) There were no forms of certificates for children with SEN who study in a general school inclusively. 

Changes have been made to the NLA, the issuance of certificates is provided, not certificates, the difference between these certificates from the certificates of ordinary schools is in a series of certificates . This will allow graduates of special schools to enter TVET and get a profession.

But at the same time, the proportion of people with SEN studying in college is practically not increasing (Table 21).

Individuals with SEN could not enter colleges, as the changes made will affect graduates from 2018. Among other problems that prevent the increase of people with SEN, there is an ignorance and psychological lack of readiness of the ITS, low awareness of parents about which colleges in their regions are engaged in inclusive training, lack of specialists, insufficient availability, lack of the NLA in determining the profile by type of disease, weak pro-formational work. The LEB does not organize address work with parents. Educational institutions have the following problems in providing additional support to students with disabilities: Lack of psychological and pedagogical support; persons with SEN need an individual approach; work with parents of children with SEN is not properly organized.

The policy of the state in the field of typolas is aimed at increasing accessibility for all categories of population. For example, in order to reach all those wishing to do the teat, since 2017, Kazakhstan has launched the project «Free TVET». Two mechanisms have been developed for the project: 1) training on working qualifications from local budgets; 2) training within the framework of the Program for the development of productive employment and mass Entrepreneurship for 2017-2021 (provides two measures: Training with TVET and short-term vocational training)

Within the framework of the project «Free TVET» every year the state educational order increases (see C.1.1). Since the program's inception, there has been some decline in both general and youth unemployment (Table 22).

Program also provides short-term professional training of employees from 1 to 6 months on a dual basis. The participants of the courses are young people under the age of 29, unemployed and self-employed. Short-term courses are taught at colleges, training centers, etc. Citizens are provided with scholarships, travel and living.

Every year the state educational order for the training of specialists of working qualification increases  (see Summary and analytical conclusions to this section).

The next social initiative providing access to the TVET is the state program «Mangilik el zhastary – industriyaga» «Serpin - 2050» (Table 23). From January 2018 to the present, the administrator of the project is the Center of the Bologna process and Academic Mobility of the MES RK. In total, during these years, a state educational order for 16,975 seats was allocated from the budget. In this project in the 2017-2018 academic year 22 colleges were involved.  

The mechanism of construction of dormitories for students in need of residence has been determined. According to the MES, with the assistance of the MFA for 2018, 134 sites located on the territory or near educational organizations are allocated. An interactive map has been developed and is operating taking into account all needs, accessible and working online on the site fincenter.kz. To begin construction of new student dormitories for at least 75 thousand places until 2022. It is expected that universities, colleges, and construction companies will be built for students themselves on the terms of public-private partnership (PPP) (Source: Fincenter.kz.)

Normative documents that regulate the introduction of remote technologies in the educational process are the SPESD and the Road Map «Digital Kazakhstan». At present, the demand for distance education is very high, since this type of education provides an opportunity to receive education regardless of place of residence, health status and other factors impeding traditional education.

In 2016 the RK ratified the Convention on Combating Discrimination in Education (adopted on December 14, 1960 by the General Conference of the UNO), which establishes the principle of equal access to education and training for all categories of the population.

Moreover, in order to ensure the availability of education, including the level of TVET, Kazakhstan signed the Dakar Declaration. Following the policy of the Dakar Framework of Action (DFA), the solution of problems related to the expansion of access to quality vocational education is one of the priority for the educational system of the RK.

Within the framework of the state program «Enbek» there is a system of short-term vocational training and retraining of unemployed and subsequent assistance in the employment of each trained person. Vocational training is mainly aimed at self-employment in order to raise the chances of finding work.

According to the Law on Population Migration, oralmans are granted certain benefits, compensation including the possibility of receiving education in accordance with the allocated quota for admission to the educational organizations of the TVET, in the amount determined by the Government of the RK.

The State provides full social assistance costs during the period of education: 1) for orphans and DPC children; 2) for children with developmental disabilities, disabled persons and disabled children from childhood; 3) for children in temporary isolation, adaptation and rehabilitation centers. 

According to the Law of the RK «On Education» orphans belong to the category of citizens of the RK, who are provided with social assistance during their education in the form of full or partial compensation for the costs of their maintenance. In case of the same indicators during the competition for educational grants, as well as for enrolment in students under the State educational order for training of personnel with technical and professional, orphans are also entitled to priority. Orphans have quotas for admission to education organizations that implement vocational training programmes of the TVET. Orphans and children DPC   studying in educational organizations are held on full state support. Orphans and children have the following benefits: 100% transportation from akimat, orphans receive 100 MCI once a year for the purchase of clothes and shoes, children under guardianship - 60 MCI. Between 2014 and 2018, the proportion of orphans and DPC decreased by 24%.
One of the measures related to full access to education of people from poor families, orphans and children with poor health is the provision of these categories of students with hot meals during their studies.

To support students with SEN, the MES  approved the admission quotas for admission to the organization of the TVET from the approved state order . In order to create equal opportunities for people with SEN, the TVET system introduces an inclusive form of education, integrated training and individual classes. At present, in the educational institutions of the TVET for children with SEN, training is conducted on a simple basis for the development of working qualifications.

In 2018, The Government of the RK adopted the Road Map to ensure the employment and socialization of young people NEET . This map allows working with young people in 8 categories: Unemployed youth, rural youth, youth with disabilities, youth with secondary education, youth with incomes below the subsistence level, educated youth without work experience, young women with young children, and asocial youth. However, the results of this road map are not preliminary data.
 

Since 2017, in Kazakhstan, within the framework of the project «Free TVET», short-term professional training of workers on a dual basis is carried out (see C.1.2). The proportion of women covered by short-term vocational training is 59% in 2017, 58% in 2018 (Source: SC MNE).

First of all, free education is intended for unemployed and self-employed youth, as well as people who do not have a professional education. As a matter of priority, participants are formed from the number of graduates of 9-11 grades, persons not admitted to educational institutions looking for work, from among those in difficult life situation and members of low-income families, as well as children of orphanages and boarding schools, children from large families, orphans and DPC children, disabled persons living in centers for the adaptation of minors.

В 2017 г. на краткосрочных курсах было обучено 71851 чел., в 2018 г. – 41656 чел. Наибольший охват составляют безработные (Таблица 24). In 2017, 71851 people were trained at short-term courses, in 2018 - 41656 people .The largest coverage is unemployed (Table 24).

In order to ensure easy access for citizens to the project «Free TVET for all» citizens will be contacted by employment centers at the place of residence and in rural areas by akims of villages, rural districts, cities of regional significance. Employment centers provide all services for free (203 employment centers).

In order to ensure that citizens have access to short-term vocational training, the State pays a scholarship during the study period for these categories of persons and provides free travel to and from the place of study. Persons who need dormitories are provided with financial assistance for living (reimbursement of housing hire costs).

The need for specialties is determined by the local executive bodies (LEB) based on the characteristics and structure of the regional labor market. The program provides for employment of citizens for permanent and temporary jobs in cases of appeal to the employment centers of the population in accordance with the Law of the RK «On Employment of the Population».

Thus, Kazakhstan has a working system for the implementation of the Program for the Development of productive Employment and Mass Entrepreneurship. This system provides easy access for all interested persons to training.

In TVET of Kazakhstan, work has been started on the revision of the structure and content of educational programs from the traditional subject-cycle approach to the formation of training modules aimed at the implementation of certain types of future professional activities (competencies).

On October 31, 2017, by the Order of the MES, model curricula and standard curricula for 141 specialties were approved . The flexibility of these programs will allow you to update or replace individual specific modules when changing the requirements for a specialist. These programs began to be introduced from the 2018-2019 academic year in the country's colleges, regardless of the form of ownership. These programs enable graduates to obtain from one to three working qualifications and the qualification of a mid-level specialist within the framework of one specialty. The modular curriculum is complete modules that are developed for each qualification. These programs give students the opportunity, after mastering the module, to enter the labor market after obtaining certification of qualification.

Thus, the modular programs implemented since the 2018-2019 academic year in the colleges of the country allow to shorten the period of training, separate modules to be used for course training, retraining and advanced training of personnel, to build a flexible trajectory of training for all the TVET students.

The Strategic Development Plan of the RK until 2025 states that one of the fundamental changes for Kazakhstan by 2025 will be the transition from a formalized educational system to a flexible system of continuous improvement of skills and competencies throughout its life.

In recognition of non-formal and spontaneous education significant progress has been made since the previous national round of the TRP. Thus, since 21.02.2019 Law of the RK «On Education» introduced changes related to the recognition of the results of the training of non-formal adults. These regulations create conditions for the development of lifelong learning and lifelong learning. Legislation has been adopted to recognize organization  providing non-formal education, a list of recognized organizations providing non-formal education and recognition of learning  outcomes.

The basis for the modernization of education in the RK is such a concept as «lifelong education».
Thus, in the Law of the RK «On Education» official status of non-formal education is recognized.

However, despite the above measures, in Kazakhstan there is no clear mechanism for recognizing non-formal learning. Recognition of non-formal learning does not affect participation in TVET and does not facilitate student access to TVET. It is not yet possible to obtain professional qualifications in Kazakhstan by confirming informal and spontaneous training.

In the non-formal education sector, many institutions and structures of civil society, non-governmental organizations, cultural institutions, education, such as foundations, libraries, museums, theaters, etc. 
Since 2016, the project «Development of labor skills and stimulation of jobs» has started. The project, funded by the World Bank loan, is expected to implement an independent qualification assessment and certification system, with industry employers' associations playing a leading role. Certification centers will evaluate and recognize the learning outcomes of all educational contexts: Formal, informal and information learning.
Until 2020, the project will develop assessment tools for the recognition of non-formal and informal learning, determine the stages, procedures and methodology for the recognition of learning. The basis of the recognition methodology can be standards agreed upon with employers: 1) analysis and assessment, 2) recognition, including methodological rules, the procedure for the commission, etc. 3) certification.

In Kazakhstan, labor migration for the most part continues to be a spontaneous unregulated process with limited opportunities for organized legal employment. In Kazakhstan, there are no mechanisms for certification of professional skills of refugees and labor migrants.
 

On average, over the 5 studied years, the proportion of graduates who received an honors degree is 9.4%. Since the last round of TRP, the proportion has increased slightly by 0.2% (Source: SC MNE).

On average, 72% of graduates receive a degree (qualification) each year, of which the main proportion (92%) receives a fixed level, which allows full professional workability after graduation, but the percentage of graduates receiving a higher level than the established level (6.8%) is very low (Indicator 49).

During the period under study, according to the SC MNE, the proportion of dropouts from TVET organizations decreased by 29%, while the proportion in public colleges decreased by 24% and in private colleges by 33% (Indicator 46).

According to the indicator, the level of successful completion of educational institutions by types of VET and programs in Kazakhstan is not maintained at the level of the country. In some regions, however, DE monitors the security of the contingent themselves. Students enrolled in colleges on the basis of grades 9 are not subject to exclusion, as they are obliged to receive general secondary education. Once they have reached the age of 18, they are entitled to be transferred to a correspondence department.

In 2019 NC JSC «Holding «Kasipkor» conducted ranking of colleges of Kazakhstan and 270 colleges (33%) took part in this rating. In the method of college ranking, which was developed by the Holding, there is an indicator «Indicators of safety of the population of students before graduation in specialties». Analysis of 33% of colleges that took part in the rating according to the results of 2017-2018 academic year showed that the level of successful completion is 88% (Source: NC JSC «Holding» Kasipkor» ).

A student may be expelled from an educational institution due to transfer to another educational institution; upon the student’s request; for non-payment of tuition fees; for violation of training discipline; for violation of the rules of the internal order of the educational institution. The reason for the deduction is recorded individually in the NEDB.

There is no other data on the level of successful graduation, the proportion of students remaining in their second year or dropping out.

The results of the International Database PISA-2015 provide an analysis of levels of education. The indicators of schoolchildren are higher than their peers studying in the TVET system. The difference in the results of the natural-scientific part of the test is 32 points, which corresponds to one year of training (Source: JSC «IAC» MES). College enrolment rates are lower than their peers in schools, as the bulk of low-learning pupils enter the country's colleges after finishing 9th grade. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the quality of general education training within the framework of college education. This requires professional development of teachers of general education disciplines on individualization of education and subject training.

In the system, TVET requires additional support for students from low-income, large families, orphans and DPC, disabled children and oralmans.

In 2018, there were 6542 (1.3%) orphans and children in the country's colleges, and 2720 (0.56%) disabled children. The proportion of Kazakh students who are not citizens of Kazakhstan is 0.15% (723 persons). Colleges keep records of students from large, low-income families, students in need of support, but there are no official statistics on the country.

College students who study in the educational programs of training skilled workers and are members of families with many children, from families with a low subsistence minimum, the state partially compensates expenses during the period of education.

In order to implement measures to prevent social orphans, 635 psychologists, 738 methodologists and 493 educators work in colleges of the country.

For children with musculoskeletal disorders, along with individual means of movement, special keyboards and manipulators are purchased today, for children with hearing impairment - individual hearing aids, sound-amplifying system with microphone, tiflotechnic means.
However, there are difficulties in working with children with SEN, as there is a shortage of specialists in the country's colleges to work with this category of persons. Pedagogical and corrective support for children with SEN requires development. Sign language and sign language interpreters, tiflopedagogues, are required to train persons with hearing and visual impairment. But as practice shows, in colleges of the country, as in schools there is a need for these teachers, as well as a lack of methodological and educational support.

Thus, the introduction of inclusive education in Kazakhstan at all levels of education has a number of unresolved problems: there is no specially trained pedagogical staff; Inadequate material and technical facilities in educational institutions; Physical access barrier; The lack of willingness of parents to teach children with SEN in educational institutions; Strict requirements of the state standard.

All these and other problems are related to the fact that at the state level there are no measures of additional support for socially vulnerable categories of students, young mothers who continue to study at TVET, students with learning difficulties, etc.
 

State ensures equality in obtaining free TVET by citizens of the RK, with the assignment of working qualifications or working qualifications to graduates within the framework of one specialty, as well as on a competitive basis in accordance with the State order of free TVET, if the education of each of these levels is received for the first time by a citizen of the RK, except for education received in military and special educational institutions.

When entering higher education institutions for applicants, the same admission quotas are provided for persons with disabilities, rural youth, orphans and persons of Kazakh nationality who are not citizens of RK, as well as in technical vocational education.

Training groups in colleges are complete in specialties. With a full-time form of study, the number of students in the group should be at least 30. In case of correspondence and evening forms of training at least 15 people. In the course of laboratory and practical classes, it is planned to divide the training group into subgroups of 8 to 13 persons, so that the teacher can pay equal attention to all students and, if necessary, an individual approach.

Implementation of special training programs for training of persons with SEN is provided by specialists accompanying the training process. Special training programmes and individual training plans are developed for persons with SEN, depending on the psychophysical characteristics and capabilities of the students (see C.1.4).

When forming the quantitative composition of groups of students with SEN colleges rely on the model rules of activity of special complexes «boarding school-college» where it is stated, That the occupancy of classes, groups in special complexes «boarding school-college» for children with visual impairment from 8 to 12 children, With hearing impairment from 8 to 10 children, with speech impairment not more than 12 children, With disorders of musculoskeletal system not more than 10 children, with disorders of intelligence from 10 to 12 children, With mental delay no more than 12 children, with emotional and will disorder no more than 10 children

According to SPESD, proportion of TVET organizations that have created equal conditions and barrier-free access for students with SEN by 2019 should be 40%. Сoncept of «equal conditions and barrier – free access» should include both logistical resources and personnel and training resources. According to NOBD, in 2017, out of 817 organizations, TVET 529 (64.7%) created conditions for students with SEN, but colleges on this indicator do not take into account all the above-mentioned conditions.

In terms of regions, there is a significant difference in indicators. The highest proportion of TVET organizations indicating that they created conditions for inclusive education was noted in North Kazakhstan (81.5%) and Almaty regions (80.8%). Their indicators are twice higher than in Almaty (40.2%) and Zhambyl regions (46.9%) (Figure 17).

According to the SCES, TVET organizations can change the content of educational programs for individualization of training. However, focus groups noted difficulties in adapting curricula to individual opportunities of students with SEN. Teachers need appropriate methodological support on this issue.

Kazakhstan recognizes the right of persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others to education on the basis of equal opportunities, without discrimination, at all levels and throughout their lives. The development of inclusive education is under constant control of the Government of RK.

Following ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Law of the RK «On Education» is supplemented by provisions on respect for the rights of persons with disabilities and at all levels of the education system (article 4, paragraph 28); On the right to priority distribution to work (article 17-1, paragraph 47).

Inclusive education is being consistently introduced, the definition and mechanism of which Kazakhstan has approved by amending the Law of the RK «On Education» (article 1, paragraph 21-7, article 8, paragraph 6, article 56, paragraph 3).

Article 1 is supplemented by subparagraph 21-7, which defines inclusive education. Article 56 is supplemented by paragraph 3 in accordance with Act № 433-V of 03.12.15, which SCES is designed with inclusive education in mind.

Together with the LEB, a set of measures is being implemented to improve the quality of life of children with disabilities in development. These measures are envisaged in the SPESD RK for 2011 - 2020 years, in the strategic plans of the MES, as well as in the Concept of Social Development of RK up to 2030. The MES also approved conceptual approaches to the development of inclusive education in RK and a set of measures for the further development of the system of inclusive education for 2015 - 2020 years.

In the SPESD RK for 2011-2020  states that in order to create conditions for persons with SEN, curricula for specialties will be developed, as well as a list of specialties for students with SEN will be developed.

Strategic Development Plan of the RK until 2025 identifies the initiative «Ensuring accessibility and inclusiveness of education» as one of the initiatives. It is planned to provide psychological and pedagogical support for inclusive education, to create special offices, educational programs of secondary, TVET on demanded working qualifications, as well as to organize advanced training of teachers.

In Concept of Social Development of RK to 2030, one of the priorities is the creation of an inclusive society through the creation of an enabling environment for all vulnerable groups.

Legislative base in the field of inclusive and special education in the RK is the laws: «On the Rights of a Child in the RK», «On ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities», «On Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities in the RK», «On Social and Medical-Pedagogical Correctional Assistance for Children with Disabilities». In accordance with the law, equal access to education is provided for persons with SEN.

The State fully or partially compensates expenses for the maintenance of children with developmental disabilities, persons with disabilities and persons with disabilities from childhood during their education (article 8, paragraph 4 of the Law of the RK «On Education»).

Persons with visual and hearing disabilities are entitled to an increased State scholarship, the amount of which is determined by the Government of Kazakhstan (article 47, paragraph 7 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan «On Education»).

When entering colleges, an admission quota of 1 per cent is provided for persons with disabilities (article 1, paragraph 8 (26), of the Law of the RK «On Education»).

Currently, persons with disabilities in development are trained in special training programs, for this category of persons in 2018 the Holding developed 20 special training programs.

For example, persons with hearing disabilities in Kazakhstan are trained in special groups in 15 colleges. Occupancy of groups from 7 to 17 people. Persons with visual impairment are trained mainly in regular groups. There are 4 colleges in the Republic where persons with musculoskeletal disorders are trained.

Colleges that train persons with SEN have the right to adapt the model curricula and programmes to the specific characteristics of these persons. The form of conducting the current, intermediate and final state certification can be varied taking into account the individual capabilities of persons with SEN.

In connection with the need to improve the skills of teachers of colleges to work with persons with SEN, the Holding conducted advanced training courses on the topic «Basic aspects and conditions of the process of inclusive training in TVET organizations». There were 242 teachers in these courses.

Previously, in secondary education, graduates of special schools for mentally retarded children were given only certificates and as a result these categories of children could not continue to study in colleges, as admission to college provides for a certificate. This violated and violated the rights of children. In this regard, amendments were made to MES Order № 39 of 28 January 2015 «On approval of types and forms of documents on state-style education and rules for their issuance». The issuance of certificates, which differ from normal ones only by series, is provided. Changes have been made to the model college admission rules, which allow special school graduates to enter colleges.

Due to the shortage of specialists to work with persons with SEN, 400 grants were allocated for training teachers-defectologists on bachelor 's degree in 2018, 100 grants for master 's degree, 30 grants for doctoral studies.

An analysis of the employment of TVET graduates shows that in 2018 the share of employed people was 62.7%, while in 2014 it was 68%. Employment rate decreased by 5.3 % over the five-year period. The proportion of disabled graduates is 16.7%. The remaining 20.6% are employed (they are trained in HEI, colleges, called to military service, are in decree, have left the RK) (Table 24).

According to a study conducted in December 2018 by JSC «CHRD» from the moment of graduation from college to the moment of employment, the average duration of search for work of the graduate was 21 months.

Average salary of all graduates was 61,883 tenge, i.e. less than half (48%) of the average salary in the country. The highest average salary was observed for college graduates from Nur - Sultan (77.1 thousand), Mangystau region (71.5 thousand), Almaty (70.9 thousand) and Atyrau (70.2 thousand) regions. Kyzylorda region (48.1 thousand) became an outsider. According to the «Proportion of working students in the last year of study», the undisputed leaders among the regions were Atyrau region and the city of Nur - Sultan with indicators at 22% and 21% of graduates respectively. The outsider was Kyzylorda region (5%).

Graduates of specialized (mainly medical) colleges are by default in demand in local labour markets. The reasons for the demand of personnel of these colleges are specialization and experience of colleges in specific fields of knowledge, such as medicine, art and culture (Study «Rating of professional education organizations, JSC «CRTR», 2018).

During the rating, 15 groups of specialties were covered.
The least demanded were (Table 25) 

The main reasons for the lack of employment of TVET graduates are the following:

-  requirements of employers about the existence of work experience in the specialty; low salary in a number of specialties (agricultural, medical specialties, services, education);

- lack of a regulatory framework requiring employers to hire graduates;

- in some specialties, the mismatch of the skills of graduates with the requirements of employers.

- there are no clear statistics on the employment and employment of young specialists in order to determine workers not in their specialty and how completely the applications of enterprises for young specialists are satisfied.

- lack of systemic control by the state of the employment of graduates trained in state grants.

In HEI for graduates who studied under the state educational grant in pedagogical, medical and veterinary specialties, the norm of compulsory completion of graduates is introduced.

According to analysts of NCE «Аtameken» to the results of the 2018 survey, about 60% of university graduates cannot get a job in their specialty. In December of the same 2018, a chamber published the results of a study of educational programs. It turned out that about 35% of graduates do not work in their specialty, and another 40% were unable to find jobs within a year after graduation. Experts note the lack of demand for HEI graduates in legal specialties, since there is an overabundance of them in the labor market.

According to a study conducted in December 2018 by JSC «CHRD», the total level of employment of graduates of higher education institutions amounted to 66%.

Thus, higher education does not guarantee employment. But at the same time, the unemployed, informally employed by the majority of persons with TVET and secondary education (in 2018, 21% of the unemployed had secondary education, 41.3% had TVET and 28.7% had higher education) (Source: SC MNE).

One of factors preventing graduates from entering the labour market is the fact that enterprises are more profitable to hire people with experience. During meetings held with employers, it was revealed that employers do not want to hire young professionals because they do not have work experience, as well as employers are not ready to invest in an inexperienced employee, and graduates without work experience find it very difficult to get a job.

Although in Kazakhstan the Center for Labor Resources Development conducts a medium-term forecast of employment by spheres. However, the use of this information to adjust the TVET system is very limited. So, for example, according to electronic labor exchange (https://www.enbek.kz/ru) for the III quarter 2018 in labor market lawyers (1510 vacancies), technicians-programmers (706 vacancies), financiers (570 vacancies), economists (558 vacancies) were the most unclaimed, and nurses (3683 vacancies), nurses (the general profile) (2531 vacancies), drivers of cars (2322 vacancies)  are the most popular.

In 2018 output for unclaimed professions amounted to 10,6 thousand people, while the excess was already 3,3 thousand people . This means that 3,3 thousand people who cannot find a job in the specialty were joined by another 10.6 thousand. In addition, in 2018 reception in unclaimed professions was carried out, which amounted to 11,2 thousand people and these specialists will enter the labour market in 3-4 years (Source: NEDB). These facts suggest that admission to colleges, both public and private education organizations, does not take into account the projected need for personnel. It is safe to say that these graduates will join the ranks of the unemployed and NEET youth.

Another factor that affects the growth of certified unemployment is the large percentage (41.6%) of private TVET institutions. Most private colleges provide training in law, economics, education, and management, which do not require significant material and technical costs. In 2018, out of 75,251 graduates, 34% of graduates released private colleges.

The issue of creation of new jobs is unclear. According to the criterion «accepted workers for newly created jobs» statistics are given only until 2016 (53.6 thousand jobs) (Source: SC MNE). If we consider the scheduled number of employed population, we can see that from 2016 to 2018 the number increased by 156, 4 thousand people. Growth should suggest that the economy is recovering and new jobs are emerging. However, the growth is related only to the sphere of services (341.4 thousand jobs), in the spheres of agriculture, forestry and fisheries (-158, 8 thousand jobs) and in industry and construction (-26, 3 thousand jobs) there is a decrease (Source: SC MNE).

There is little or no graduate tracking system that could provide employment data directly from recent graduates. Lack of quantitative and qualitative information means that the problems of transition from education to employment are not fully understood, and the situation is not properly assessed, hence there is no adequate solution to the problems. Thus, decline in employment in the real sector of the economy indicates a decline in the country's industry and agriculture and that there are insufficient new jobs in these sectors.

Work is being done in Kazakhstan to increase the employment of TVET graduates. All colleges have structural units and responsible persons who deal with all types of internships and employment of graduates. To improve the practical orientation of education in the country's colleges, DT is introduced. 

There are career development centers in colleges to promote the employment of college students and college graduates and to interact with employers. These centers cooperate with enterprises and organizations; assist in organizing internships and practices; interact with local authorities, including the territorial bodies of the public employment service, who’s interested in improving the situation of graduates in the job market. Employees of career centers conduct explanatory work with students, and provide feedback to college graduates. 

One of the effective ways to find work is a job fair. Applicants are given the opportunity to personally communicate with recruitment managers, and possibly with the management of organizations. Plus, applicants can submit their resumes to hundreds of companies at once. Vacancy fairs are held by the employment centers, the Center for Youth Initiatives with the participation of employers, National and regional Chamber of Entrepreneurs. 

Some colleges, together with employers, conduct a survey of graduates with a view to their further employment. The estimated employment and employment of graduates is determined. 

For job search and selection of staff in Kazakhstan, a unified online platform - the electronic labor exchange (https://www.enbek.kz/ru), was launched in pilot mode in 2017. And since 2018 it has been working in full mode.

This is a single digital employment platform in which any employer can publish available vacancies, and the applicant can submit his resume, all services are provided free of charge without visiting employment centers. It is a very convenient single digital platform for enterprises and employers, for workers, to look for work and to look for a worker. 

For the III quarter of 2018, the electronic labor exchange has 255843 vacancies and 121557 resumes.
Statewide programs have been repeatedly adopted to address youth unemployment and employment: «Productive Employment and Mass Entrepreneurship Program for 2017–2021», «Youth  Personnel Reserve», «Employment 2020» program, «Road map of business», «With a diploma to the village», « Mangilik el zhastary - industryga «- «Serpin «, «Youth practice».

The state, within the framework of the program of productive employment and mass entrepreneurship for 2017-2021, provides not only short-term vocational training (from 1 month to 6 months), but also training the basics of entrepreneurship. Short-term training is designed for the young and middle-aged people to acquire work experience, and provide productive employment. A key indicator of the program is post-training employment. As of June 1, 2018, 23 thousand people (plan for 2018 - 37.2 thousand people) were sent to short-term courses (the official Internet resource of the MLSPP).

Through the electronic labor exchange, 530 thousand job seekers were employed (392 thousand for permanent jobs and 137 thousand for temporary workers).
In Kazakhstan, the Law «On Employment of the Population» was adopted, to regulate legal, organizational and economic relations in the sphere of employment. The Employment Act contains the following tools: youth practice (for the purpose of acquiring an initial experience in the profession), social work (for the employment of unemployed persons with subsidies for their wages through the Employment Center), public works, the establishment of quotas for jobs, the promotion of entrepreneurship, the promotion of voluntary resettlement, and the assignment of vocational training.

An important role in ensuring employment is played by the established duties of employers, in particular: 1) to send information on the availability of free jobs to the Employment Center(EC) ; 2) to fulfill the established quota for the employment of individual categories of citizens;3) to provide information to the authorized body on employment of foreigners or stateless persons.

The full performance of the employer's obligations is monitored by the relevant government authorities.
 

Career guidance is an important tool for ensuring a more effective transition of young people to work and is carried out at all levels of formal education.

In Kazakhstan, vocational guidance work is carried out by schools, career centers and career guidance colleges, NCE and regional chambers of entrepreneurs, youth policy institutes, employment centers, etc. But there is no unified coordinated strategy, since there is no single agency for career guidance in the RK, where all interested stakeholders would be present.

Responsibility for the organization of career guidance among students lies with the MES. According to the Standard Qualification Characteristics of Teaching Staff Positions, career guidance is the job of the school's deputy principal. Schools also lack a systematic approach to career guidance, have not developed methods, and have no practice of systematic vocational guidance for high school students

TVET organizations carry out career guidance in the following areas: work with students in 9th and 11th grades of general schools; interaction with employers; work with parents; conducting workshops, exhibitions, excursions, etc.

The involvement of employers in this work is important in the vocational training of colleges. Colleges work closely with partner enterprises. There are excursions of school kids to enterprises, meetings with successful graduates of their profession, also master classes are held.

An important role in career guidance is working with parents of schoolchildren. This is a psychological and pedagogical education of parents on the professional orientation of young people.

In the regions, the Chamber of Entrepreneurs conducts wide pro-educational work,  information stands about the best enterprises of the region are installed in general education schools, pro-educational events with the participation of schoolchildren and representatives of employers are held. For example, in Pavlodar, since 2015, a cluster of pre-profile and profile training of students has been operating, which is a good example of effective interaction. This cluster includes kindergartens, schools, colleges, universities, enterprises and the Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Pavlodar region.

Employment centers provides social professional guidance services in Kazakhstan for job seekers; unemployed persons; self-employed; oralmans; students, high school students.

In Kazakhstan, as part of a World Bank loan «Promoting Productive Innovation», a unified information system for career guidance, analysis and forecasting of the needs of specialties – bagdar.kz  has been developed. The goal is to help young people to be aware of the choice of the future profession depending on psychological tendencies.

This system presents a list of educational organizations (TVET, HEI), specialties, vacancies, resumes, and also provides the opportunity to pass tests. Comprehensive career guidance testing can be performed by schoolchildren, graduates and adults. Thus, this system allows to cover all interested groups of the population: pupils of grades 5-8 vocational education, graduates of grades 9-11 vocational training and professional selection, and adults - re-profiling and re-education. After passing the test, you can get acquainted with the profession, its profession diagram, there is the opportunity to watch a video interview with a representative of this profession.

But despite the wide participation in the vocational work of concerned parties, Kazakhstan lacks a system, effective model of vocational work; there is no early vocational guidance from the 5th grades.

Thus, work on vocational guidance is being carried out in Kazakhstan, however, the effectiveness of career guidance at the school and TVET levels has not been evaluated.

Effectiveness of the TVET system, increasing its quality to a world level, the demand for graduates in the labor market depends on the methods of teaching and learning used. In the TVET system, along with traditional, innovative teaching methods that enhance the student's role are used. A personality-oriented approach is being implemented, the technology of an individual student learning path is being introduced. The concept of «individual educational trajectory» has been introduced into legal system. 

Use of ICT allows you to individualize the learning process; the use of electronic textbooks and lectures significantly expands the student's capabilities.  The use of ICT in colleges meets a number of problems: not enough electronic textbooks in the state language, there is no single database of electronic educational resources in the specialties of the TVET, low speed of the Internet. In 2018, 327 ETS of state colleges on the implementation of IT technologies were trained.

In recent years, integrated learning technologies have been introduced. For example, the CLIL methodology has been recognized in connection with the transition to trilingual education and the introduction of professional English in the educational process. For 2018, the share of teachers who teach special subjects in English is only 0.9%. The CLIL technique allows you to expand the scope of the English language in the teaching of special disciplines in TVET, based on professional content.

Active methods used by the colleges' ETS are the method of problem-search learning and the technology of level differentiation of students.

Workplace Training (WT) is one of the main methods of training professional competencies.  The most widely used type of WT is the production practice, which is 40% of the total volume of training hours. The format of preparation and conduct of the students' production practice at the enterprises is regulated by internal normative legal acts and is regulated by the contract for conducting the practice, which is between the educational institution and the enterprise.

For a number of technical and technological specialties and qualifications, practical training is difficult, or turns into a formality, as students under 18 do not have permission to work, including with equipment.

Second type of WT in TVET organizations is DT, where more than 60% of the study time is allocated to the practical component. When an enterprise organizes industrial training for students at workplaces, students master all production operations. As a result, the personnel management department of the enterprise has the opportunity to choose and offer graduates who wish to continue working as a specialist familiar with the technological features of the enterprise. 

Despite the indicators of colleges, which show that 486 colleges have implemented DT, the enrollment of students in this form is 38823 students, 10% of the total number of students in the TVET system.

Quality of DT is determined by the level of social partnership and industrial development. According to the NCE «Аtameken» Research and Production Enterprise, 389 (47%) colleges have implemented DT, cooperation agreements have been concluded with 2,410 enterprises, and 20,050 (4%) students are involved. Students undergo paid practice, some of them receive scholarships from employers. Some colleges count the time of training in the work experience. Despite the progress, there are a number of problems: the lack of qualified mentors in the workplace with knowledge of the basics of pedagogical skill; there are not enough student places at the enterprises for industrial training; according to the MES RK, available tax incentives for employers are ineffective; the system of independent industry certification of qualifications of graduates of educational organizations and specialists in the labor market has not been debugged. This is a key link in DT, allowing to evaluate the acquired skills of specialists for compliance with industry requirements.

According to the NCE «Аtameken», domestic entrepreneurs are mostly not ready to invest in training, since they are difficult to make long-term forecasts. Many businesses simply do not have the free money to invest in education. Legislation of the RK does not provide tax preferences to the business for participation in training of personnel.

Educational institutions must comply with the Licensing Regulations and the qualifications required for educational activities in order to teach them . According to the qualification requirements, the proportion of full-time teachers of their total number should be at least 70%, the proportion of teachers of the highest and first categories of their total number – at least 30%. Libraries of state colleges have reading rooms, and computer rooms with Internet access.

In 2018, library fund was 23,590,312 units, and the number of publications per 1 trainee - 48 units (Table 26). In 5 years, the number of electronic textbooks in college libraries increased by 13%. Analysis of focus groups with teachers shows that colleges lack electronic textbooks in State language and English language.
«In the classroom we use electronic textbooks, electronic lectures.

But there are few electronic textbooks in the Kazakh language». 
Source: Focus Data - Teacher Teams

Сolleges have sports halls, medical rooms, dining rooms with hot meals, dormitories and study rooms, computer classes with Internet connection. Study rooms of colleges are equipped with stands corresponding to the profile of professions and specialties, visual aids, tables, posters, didactic materials, technical means of training. 
Financing of equipment of the material and technical base is carried out by the local and republican budgets. The number of training rooms (by 3.5%), workshops (by 7%), laboratories (by 21%) and autodromes (by 12%) increased over 5 years, which is due to the increase in the cost of strengthening the material and technical base. 

In the last 5 years, there has been an increase in both the number of computers (by 7%) and the proportion of computers (by 6%) with access to the Internet (Table 27). The number of students per computer: in 2014 - 14, in 2018 - 8. In the last 5 years the number of students per computer has decreased by 4 units, which shows a positive trend of computerization in the system of TVET. In 5 years, the number of interactive equipment kits in the TVET organizations increased by 23% (Source: data from the SC MNE). 

There arе still equipment problems. Not all colleges have teachers' workplaces equipped with personal computers, computer programs are outdated.

Focus group analysis showed that there is no Internet in the workshops of rural colleges.

«I would like to use video materials in the classes, but there is no Internet».

Focus group data with teachers and  masters of  VT.
In accordance with the Sanitary Rules  requirements for operation, water supply, heat supply, lighting, ventilation, repair and maintenance, living conditions, food, training and industrial practice, working conditions and public services for staff, medical support for college students are respected, regardless of ownership.
In rural colleges, the number of students per teacher for five years remains unchanged (12 people), while in the city for 5 years there is a decrease of 1 teacher. (Table 29).  For 5 years there has been a decrease in the number of ETS by 2.5%, the number of students by 8.1%. (Source  SC MNE) 

Young Teacher School (YTS) works in colleges for the purpose of methodical assistance to young teachers. There is no single approach to the organization of the work of the YTS. Each college independently develops a plan, defines forms and methods of work. In all colleges, the main tasks of the YTS are to contribute to the successful adaptation of young teachers; to develop professional and pedagogical skills; to form a need for beginner educators in continuous self-education. 

To improve their qualifications, ETS undergo continuing education courses once every 5 years. NC JSC «Holding «Kasipkor» over the past 2 years has developed 23 new educational programs of advanced training courses in 3 areas :

1)    Updating of the content of the TVET (implementation of modular-competent approach, credit-modular technology, application bachelor's program, implementation of inclusive education, DT, criterion evaluation). 

2)    Innovative pedagogical technologies (CLIL, case studies, TBLT, BOPPPS, IT-technologies, etc.)

3)    Targeted programs (for masters of industrial training, methodologists, tutors, implementation of WS standards, specialized programs in the specialties (oil and gas business, energy, construction, etc.).

Teachers take advanced training courses not only in their specialty, but also in the educational part, since most of the teachers are group leaders. The ED conducts a month where young teachers receive methodological assistance.

To solve the shortage of qualified mentors in the workplace with knowledge of the basics of pedagogical skills, the Department of Human Capital Development of NCE»Аtameken» RK, together with the Craft Chamber of Trier, organized the training of mentors. 

Institutional structure of DT has been created, within the framework of which NCE»Аtameken» maintains a register of contracts and has created a mentor base. There are 95 training and resource centers in the regions for retraining specialists at enterprises, 2 consortiums, 9 industry clusters, and 21 certification centers.

National Chamber of Entrepreneurs has been working on the implementation of the subject «Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship» since 2014. During this time, experts reviewed the experience of international entrepreneurship education programs. The course is held for teachers who will teach a new subject. 1784 teachers will be trained before the fall.

MTB of colleges are regularly updated. Expenses on MTB due to the LB in 2018 amounted to 3,788.4 million tenge. (Diagram 17). MTB is equipped with modern educational-production and technological equipment, the training of the ETS to work on new equipment in a number of colleges is carried out through projects within the framework of international cooperation. In 2018, 41 colleges strengthened the material and technical base through a loan from the World Bank.  (Source: DE of the city of Nur - Sultan, Almaty, Shymkent and regions)

Over 5 years, the proportion of computers with access to the Internet has grown by 7%, while in rural colleges it has grown by 0.8%. (Table 29).

As part of digitalization, college teachers create digital educational content, develop electronic textbooks, lectures, methodical manuals. In order to automate the management of the educational process, colleges use such information systems as e-college, automated information system «Platonus», the Moodle platform and others. The content and proportion of digital content is not formally regulated. Colleges seek to increase digital content, but this process is not tracked. Also, all public and part of private colleges have official sites. There are no uniform standards for the design and content of the site, legislatively drawn up, but nonetheless the LEB requires certain rules to be followed (for example, posting on the site of state symbols, public services, etc.).

There are three categories of pedagogical workers in the TVET institutions: Teachers of general education, special disciplines and masters of industrial training. In 2018, 38556 ETS worked in the TVET system (27571 ETS in state colleges, 10985 in private colleges) and 6005 masters of PT (5662 in state and 343 in private colleges) (Table 31).

The level of professional competence of pedagogical workers is determined by the qualification category. According to the Rules and conditions for the performance of the qualification of pedagogical workers, each teacher is obliged to raise (confirm) the qualification category after every five years.

From 2014 to 2018, there is a positive trend for teachers with the highest category: in 2014 -23%, in 2018 - 27% (Figure 19). Analysis of the certification of teachers over the past 5 years indicates an increase in the professional skill of college teachers. This is explained by a set of measures aimed at creating the conditions for advanced training of teachers. Conditions that have a favorable effect on the certification of teachers are: professional development at various courses, training of teachers and masters of PT at enterprises, the possibility of obtaining a second higher education, the exchange of experience, social support for college teachers (payment of medical benefits, payment of continuing education courses, preferential trips to sanatoriums through the union, etc.).

In 2018 47% of teachers and masters of VT had the highest and first categories, which corresponds to licensing requirements. The proportion of ETS without a category is 32%. Although colleges do not provide an additional fee for the category, all ETS staff of both public and private educational organizations once every 5 years increase their qualification level in accordance with the Rules for the certification of teaching staff.

In 2018 Rules and conditions for certification were amended in which all pedagogical workers were divided into 5 qualification categories: teacher, teacher-moderator, teacher-expert, teacher-researcher, teacher-master. Teachers can pass both early and regular certification. Certification takes place in two stages: qualification testing and a comprehensive analytical synthesis of the results of activities.

Purpose of certification is to stimulate the growth of qualifications and professionalism, the quality of pedagogical work, the development of creative initiative, as well as ensuring the social protection of teachers in the conditions of market economic relations by differentiating wages. But the new rules currently apply only to teachers of preschool and secondary education, with the exception of colleges. Teachers of special disciplines and masters VT of college are not paid for the category; the question of paying for the qualification category is still being decided. Another problem is that tests for testing have not been developed, and therefore it is not possible to conduct the first stage of certification. Tests are currently under development.

According to focus groups conducted in 2017 and 2018, college ETS  are not interested in upgrading their category due to the fact that the qualification category is not taken into account when paying for their work.

In TVET organizations, there is an improvement in the quality of ETS due to teachers with academic and scientific degrees. Compared to 2016, in 2018, the number of teachers with a doctorate in science, PhD increased almost 4.2 times, candidates 4.4 times, masters 2.8 times (figure 20).

A teacher of general educational disciplines must have a higher (or postgraduate) education without presenting requirements for work experience. Must be able to independently develop a methodology for teaching the subject, use the forms and methods of active learning, be able to organize diagnostic work with students; provide sustainable positive results in the educational process, take an active part in the work of creative groups, methodical associations, schools of excellence within the educational institution.

Teacher of special disciplines of the college must have a higher (or postgraduate) education in the corresponding profile. Depending on the presence or absence of a category, various requirements for his qualifications are presented to the teacher of special disciplines. With the increase in the category, the requirements for the teacher also increase.

Teacher of the second category should be able to independently develop a methodology for teaching the subject, use active teaching methods, provide sustainable positive results in the educational process, take an active part in the work of methodological associations and schools of excellence within the college.

Following requirements are imposed on the first category teacher: at least 3 years of work experience as a teacher or at least 2 years of work experience in a profile; knowledge of the methods of analysis of educational and methodological work on the subject, the ability to manage creative seminars, the work of creative groups, participation in the implementation of new educational programs, textbooks, teaching aids.

Teacher of the highest category must have at least 4 years of work experience as a teacher, or at least 3 years of production experience in a profile, or a candidate’s degree in a profile without presenting requirements for work experience. A teacher of the highest category should be able to develop new curricula, pedagogical technologies, teaching and upbringing methods, conduct work on testing them, have authorial developments on training and upbringing issues, and lead creative groups to develop urgent problems in the field of education.

Master of PT must have a higher education (bachelor's or master's degree) or technical and vocational education with the qualification of a mid-level specialist. For the master, as well as for the teacher, requirements are made depending on its category. Experience in the workplace is desirable, but this is not a requirement. Master of the highest qualification of the second category actively solves the tasks of complex methodological support of the educational-production process. The master of the first category is directly involved in the work of methodological commissions and sections. A specialist of the highest qualification level of the highest category is able to develop private vocational training methods, conducts work on approbation; knows how to summarize best practices, participates in the implementation of new training programs and technologies.

These requirements are sufficient to enter the profession of a teacher and master of VT.

In 2018, 15% of teachers worked part-time, i.e. in his spare time from his main job, another regular paid work is performed by a person and 18.1% on a part-time basis (Figure 23).

Since 2015, the number of part-time teachers has been increasing. This is due to the lack of teachers of special disciplines and low salaries.

In the RK, the data of contract workers are not collected for hire.

Wage system for employees of state educational organizations is determined in the manner prescribed by the legislation of the RK. Salaries of teachers of state institutions and state-owned enterprises of education, bonuses and allowances, as well as other incentive payments are determined by the legislation of the RK.

Payment to teachers and masters of TVET is made on the basis of the order of the MES.

In the law «On education» in article 52 the system of wages of employees of educational organizations is described. Standard training load per year for the calculation of monthly salaries of teachers is 1080 hours. Salaries of teachers depend on several factors, including education, seniority, workload.

Teachers for managing classrooms, laboratories, workshops receive a bonus of 25%, combined workshops - 30%, for managing a group - 25%, for checking notebooks and written works in Kazakh, Russian and other languages - 25%, in mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology, foreign language, drawing, design, technical mechanics - 20%.

Masters of vocational training, staffed by educational institutions, are paid for monthly salaries.

Average monthly nominal wage of one employee in the 3rd quarter of 2018 according to the data of the SC MNE RK amounted to 161,783 tenge ($ 419) (Table 33).

By industry sectors, the highest average monthly salary have representatives of financial and insurance activities which is 298.97 thousand tenge, then «Professional, scientific and technical activity» - 255.11 thousand tenge and «Industry» - 223.3 thousand tenge.

Despite the increase in the average monthly salary in colleges, there is a shortage of teachers of special disciplines and masters of PT. One of the reasons is the annual outflow of ETS to production. Uncompetitive salaries in colleges do not allow retaining existing ETS and attracting workers from production. According to the data of the SC MNE, an engineer in production receives an average of 280 thousand tenge, which is 2.8 times higher than the average salary of a teacher. Thus, production specialists are not interested in working in colleges. 

Secondary school teachers who have switched to the updated content of educational material receive a salary supplement. Also, school teachers receive a supplement for the qualification category. And the teachers of colleges do not have such additional payment and therefore the teachers of colleges are not interested in upgrading the qualification. At the same time, teachers are assigned qualification categories in order to improve their knowledge, skills, and teaching skills. That is, in accordance with the law «On Education», a teacher must constantly improve his professional skills, intellectual, creative and general scientific level. Teachers and masters of PT left to production due to low wages.
 

To rate the quality of teachers and masters of PT in Kazakhstan, there are the following mechanisms: certification, rating of teachers' activities, questionnaires and surveys of students about the activities of the teacher.

During the certification, the teachers present the materials of the complex analytical summary of the results of their activities, which includes the results of the survey of students conducted by the college administration, feedback from parents, colleagues, administration, managers of the bases of practice, employers collected by the certified. In addition, the certified employee provides the results of pedagogical activity: documents confirming their own participation and participation of students in educational, creative, subject Olympiads, competitions, reviews and the dynamics of professional performance for 3 years. Following the results of the activities of the certified employee, the certification Commission makes a decision on the conformity or non-conformity of the declared qualification category. Following the results of the activities of the certified employee, the certification committee makes a decision on the conformity or non-conformity of the declared qualification category.

In order to increase professional competence, work efficiency, stimulate teachers, and motivate further activities, each college conducts a rating of the activities of teachers and masters of PT. There is no single approach and rating requirements for teachers and masters of PT; each college determines the rating parameters individually. Rating results are usually conducted based on the results of the semester and the school year. Most ratings include such indicators as; work on a scientific and methodological topic, introduction of pedagogical technologies, conducting an open lesson and extra-class event, creating educational and methodological documentation, summarizing his own pedagogical experience, participating in the work of pedagogical and methodological councils, publications in the media, participating in competitions of pedagogical and professional skills, visiting the lessons of colleagues, improving skills, leading the creative and research work of college students. The rating results used by the college management for personnel policy, promotion of employees.

In addition, in colleges, the methodological office, the psychological and pedagogical service conducts surveys, questionnaires «Teacher through the eyes of students». The data of these questionnaires allow us to conclude on the quality of work of a particular teacher and are used for decision-making.

One of the criteria for improving quality is the continuing education of teachers. In Kazakhstan there is a formed system of pedagogical education and training of pedagogical personnel. Teachers must undergo continuing education once every 5 years. Сourses are conducted by the JSC «NCPD «Orleu». NC JSC «Holding «Kasipkor», National scientific and practical educational centers, universities and legal entities regardless of the forms of ownership and carrying out activities in accordance with the charter for the conduct of courses, as well as by the regional cities of Nur-Sultan, Almaty and Shymkent, method classes of district (city) education departments. Teachers are trained not only in their specialty, but also in their educational part, since most of the teachers are leaders of study groups. In the context of modernization of the TVET system, the issue of improving the professional level of heads of TVET organizations is acquires special relevance.

Course training is conducted according to educational programs approved by the order of the MES, aimed at the formation of new professional competencies, the implementation of a new type of educational activity in the organizations of the TVET. Teachers and masters of PT take courses on various topics: these are educational programs developed on the basis of a module-competency-based approach, the introduction of credit-module technology, educational programs of applied undergraduate studies, the introduction of IT technologies in the educational process, the teaching of special disciplines (modules) in English based on the integration of CLIL, TBLT methods and the BOPPPS model, the development of a business system and financial and legal literacy in TVET organizations, the main aspects of the process organizations and regional championships on WS and DT standards.

In order to continuously improve their professional skills, ETS undergo internships at enterprises (see D 2.6)

The state recognizes the special status of the teacher in society and creates conditions for the implementation of professional activities and in January 2019 the Law «On Status of the Teacher» began to be developed in Kazakhstan.

But despite all the measures taken, there is a serious human personnel problem in the country. The salary of teachers and software masters, despite the efforts of recent years, remains uncompetitive; the prestige of the profession is falling. In Finland, for example, the best 10% of school graduates become teachers, in Kazakhstan the picture is the opposite.

Training of teachers in Kazakhstan, the system of teacher education and the system of professional development and support for novice teachers leaves much to be desired. It is recognized all over the world that teachers need to develop their professional qualities, and not just every few years, but constantly. In many countries, special bodies exist to coordinate the quality of teacher training. For example, in the UK there is a Teacher Training Agency, which has been assigned the quality control functions of teacher training. Moreover, in the UK, for example, choosing a place and a form of advanced training remains for the teacher. This system in the UK is fully decentralized and operates on a market basis.

Most successful countries achieve high learning outcomes by attracting the most talented people to teaching and their effective professional development, leading to an increase in the quality of education.

To solve the problem of the shortage of teachers and masters of PT, some colleges attract specialists from manufacture, as well as part-time workers, in the educational process.

Mostly women work in the TVET system (74%), while men leave due to low wages. But among masters of PT, 56% on average are men, which is associated with technical specialties. Working day of the ETS under the employment contract is 8 hours and therefore it is practically impossible to work part-time.

Problem of disinterest in upgrading the category was aggravated by the new certification rules, but colleges cannot yet pass certification according to the new rules, since there is no database of tests in special disciplines.

College managers are taking steps to retain staff. One of the mechanisms of motivation of ETS is the awarding of diplomas and letters of appreciation (director of the college, akimat, DE, MES and other departments). Also, many colleges try to find funds to reward their employees.

Low salaries of teachers in TVET remain one of the reasons for the shortage of teachers. Since July 1, 2019, the Government decided to increase the salaries of teachers by an average of 30% (approximately $ 28) of the base salary.

To improve the provision of the TVET system with qualified teaching staff, a prospective training plan for teachers for 5 years is drawn up at each college with a separation from production of at least two weeks. The training is carried out according to this plan. The courses are conducted both by affiliated organizations, such as JSC NCPD «Orleu», Holding «Kasipkor» and private organizations.

For the most part, teachers of public colleges take advanced training courses at the expense of the state, but teachers can study in additional courses and at their own expense.

Such course as NC JSC «Holding «Kasipkor», JSC «Orleu» provides conduct courses for state colleges as part of state assignments and for teachers of private colleges organize paid courses. In most cases, heads of private colleges are also interested in upgrading the skills of their pedagogical staff and are seeking funds to upgrade their skills. In addition, annually the college's teachers improve their qualification at seminars, methodical days. One of the mechanisms of advanced training and generalization of advanced pedagogical experience can be considered methodical days, which are carried out according to the plan of ED management at each college annually. In the programs of methodical days, teachers and masters who have a large experience of work or certified teachers, conduct open lessons, master classes, trainings, public events.

To improve professional skill, teachers participate in the work of methodological associations, creative groups, in professional skill contests, master classes, forums, festivals, etc. In the institutions of TVET, a young teacher's school operates, where, for the provision of pedagogical and methodological assistance during the period of professional adaptation to young teachers, mentors from among experienced teachers are assigned. In the institutions of TVET, an YTS operates, where, for the provision of pedagogical and methodological assistance during the period of professional adaptation to young teachers, mentors from among experienced teachers are assigned. Young teachers are assisted in the development of educational programs, educational and methodological complexes, in the introduction of modern approaches and innovative pedagogical technologies in the educational process. Young teachers attend classes of experienced teachers.

     Construction of educational programs on the basis of a modular competency-based approach requires constant feedback from the requirements of employers. Therefore, in order to continuously improve their professional skills, teachers and masters of PT undergo internships at enterprises. The internship program provides an opportunity to acquire additional professional competencies and conduct practical exercises at a high professional level. In 2018, the share of ETS that completed internships at enterprises was 1.4%, while in 2014 it was 4%. However, this is a very low indicator for the TVET system (Source: NEDB).

In order to stimulate and recognize the work of experienced teachers, the ED and methodological offices annually hold a regional competition among the ETS of colleges for awarding the title of «Best Teacher». Every year, the MES conducts a republican contest «Best teacher», the purpose of which is to identify, support and encourage advanced teachers, disseminate pedagogical experience and increase the prestige of the teacher's work. The winner of the 2018 contest was awarded with the badge «Uzdik pedagog - 2018» and a certificate worth 2 million 405 thousand tenge.

There is a desire of individual teachers to career growth, the need to achieve professional prestige and respect from colleagues. Promotion in the post is carried out by the management of colleges on the basis of professional achievements, executive discipline and managerial skills. The teacher can move from the position of the teacher to the position of head of the department and deputy director.

Proportion of teachers who took advanced training courses over 5 years decreased by 25% (in 2014 - 47%, in 2018 - 22%). Also, the ETS of colleges undergo training courses abroad; in 2018 the proportion of the ETS who passed training courses abroad was 0.6% (Table 34).

Content of the training programs is aimed at training on two key components - practical and theoretical. It should also be noted that teacher training courses are conducted mainly outside the educational institution and, as a rule, with a margin from the educational process. And this has a number of drawbacks: high costs, theory is more often studied than practice, and it can be difficult to apply in ordinary work. At the same time, teachers are forced to undergo this form of training, as during certification of a teacher confirmation of completion of courses, seminars, etc. in the form of certified certificates is required.

To ensure the quality of the teachers of TVET in the college, there are the following mechanisms: The YTS, the school of pedagogical skill, mutual attendance of classes, and the conduct of methodical days.

One way to ensure the quality of teachers is to have teachers attend each other classes. This type of experience exchange is applied both inside the college, and at the level of the city, region, these visits gives teachers the opportunity to share their experience, is one of the forms of professional development and dissemination of best practices.

All colleges held a methodical day once a year, where they share work experience according to the methodological theme of the college or according to their methodological topic. The main goal of the methodical days is to increase the level of professional skill of teachers and disseminate the best pedagogical experience of college teachers.

The set of general requirements that determine the quality for each level of education is determined by SCES. SCES of TVET defines the requirements for the content of education, the maximum amount of academic load, the level of training of students and the duration of training in educational programs of technical and vocational education. When pursuing a policy in the field of TVET development, the most important condition for meeting the needs of the economy is the involvement of all interested parties. 

To meet the demand of the labor market, TVET is switching to modular competency programs.
The programs are developed in accordance with international requirements and take into account the needs of Kazakhstan employers. The updating of model curricula and programs on the basis of a modular and competent approach has been carried out since 2016. For the period from 2016 to 2018, 246 MC were updated, including full modules of the educational program necessary to achieve a certain level of qualification (2016 - 65 MC, 2017 - 108 MC, 2018 - 73 MC).
In the actualized MC, the goals of training are professional competencies, as a means of achieving them is the modular construction of the structure and content of professional training.

In 2018, out of 266 specialties of the Classifier of professions and technical and vocational education of TVET in 246 (92.6%) specialties, MC and programs were updated taking into account the modular competence approach and the requirements of employers. In the Rules of organization of educational process on credit technology of training has been introduced  the section TVET, providing organization of educational process of credit technology of training in TVET.

In 2016, methodological recommendations were developed for the development of MC applied bachelor's degree, taking into account the credit and modular training technology. In 2018, 15 MC for applied bachelor's degree were developed. In the 2018-2019 academic year, application bachelor's programs, taking into account the credit and modular technology of training, have already been implemented in experimental mode  in 27 colleges. 

Analysis of employment of graduates shows that in the last 5 years the share of employed graduates of TVET increased by 3% (Table 35).

Law of the RK «On Education» states that state control over the quality of education is ensured by creating and ensuring the functioning of the national system for assessing the quality of education (Law of the RK «On Education», Article 8). At the same time, there is a problem of quality management, since, according to the legislation (Law RK «On Education», art.55), the management of the quality of education is carried out by making managerial decisions at all levels of education, with the exception of technical and professional, post-secondary, post-graduate education, on the basis of the results of educational monitoring.

Formal definition of quality in TVET is based on the conformity of the SCES formation.
Strategic plan for the development of education for 2016-2019 (DGRK dated July 24, 2018 № 460) reflects specific measures to control and ensure quality.

Based on the SPECD for 2016-2019, strategic plans of regions and TVET organizations are being developed, which also include issues and measures to ensure quality. In order to improve the quality of training and to bring educational programs into line with the requirements of international standards, international accreditation of TVET educational institutions on a voluntary basis will be introduced from 2020. It is planned to introduce a rating system for college educational programs based on a survey of employers on an annual basis. 

Main indicators will be the employment, salary of graduates and the quality of educational programs of colleges. The mechanism for implementing quality assurance measures is not well developed. For example, it is not completely determined how and by whom the college educational programs will be rated, how the independence and objectivity of the college educational programs will be ensured based on a survey of employers.

At the moment, the system for ensuring and assessing the quality of education in TVET includes several basic elements. First is licensing. It provides access to the educational services market only to those who possess the minimum necessary material, intellectual and other necessary resources. MES RK is consistently moving towards optimizing licensing functions: many procedures that could be excluded were removed from the licensing system. 

Transparency of all stages of licensing is ensured by the implementation in electronic format, decisions are reflected on the site.  The second element is state control. At the national level, a unified control system operates, the structure of which includes the territorial departments of the control committee in the field of education, which compare the activities of TVET organizations with legal norms.

The third element is accreditation. Procedure determines the prospects for the development of educational organizations, its maximum attainable level with available resources (material, technical, human and others). The legal framework for accreditation is working. There is a register of accreditation organizations. It includes 6 Kazakhstan and 4 foreign agencies. They conduct an independent professional assessment of the quality of educational services. The fourth element is ratings. For example, NC JSC «Holding «Kasipkor» ranks TVET organizations in five areas (indicators): 1) quality of activity; 2) professional staff; 3) interaction with the business community; 4) participation in the WS project and other innovative projects; 5) contingent of students. 

The quality of activities includes: passage of independent accreditation, the share of new educational programs, the share of laboratories or workshops, the share of developed teaching aids, digital educational resources in the specialties, the share of ETS who underwent further training and internships.

Interaction with the business community includes such indicators as the level of social partnership and cooperation with employers, business, the number of cooperation agreements between the college and the enterprise, the percentage of students studying in DT.
Indicator «contingent of students» includes: the share of students who took prizes in competitions of professional skill and the safety of the contingent of students until graduation in specialties.

In colleges, quality management systems based on ISO standards are introduced to improve the quality of education and meet the needs of customers in the face of employers, students and their parents.

Global trend in assessing the quality of education and the development of education is the functioning of an independent certification system and knowledge assessment. For 2018, there are 21 certification centers in the country. The qualification of college graduates and specialists is carried on by the leading republican branch associations. Graduates of short-term courses are certified. However, certification is now on a voluntary basis. To move to voluntary certification, it is necessary to improve the regulatory framework for certification, tighten requirements for enterprises (businesses) in the field of qualification of workers and specialists, as well as in matters of hiring and remuneration. Industry associations propose to create compulsory certification centers on the basis of existing organizations, which will give a conclusion: Whether the diploma confirms the quality of the received education. It is necessary to establish common standards for independent evaluation, creating a national certification system (NSC).

As part of the internal quality control of training in the learning process, students pass the current, intermediate and final control. Ongoing control of academic performance, intermediate and final certification of students is carried out in accordance with the «Model Rules».

Final examination (FE) of students of TVET organizations includes passing final exams in general professional and special disciplines and (or) modules, or performing and defending a graduation project (work), or performing and defending a diploma work with passing a final exam in one of the special disciplines and (or) module.

For conducting FE students in educational institutions, a final certification commission is created by order of the head of the educational organization. The composition of the FE Commission is formed from the number of representatives from employers, qualified specialists of enterprises, teachers of special disciplines, masters of VT.

It is necessary to note the existing problems in the field of quality assurance and assessment:

1)    The outdated material and technical base of colleges does not ensure the quality of training and the attractiveness of the TVET system.

2)    The mechanisms of independent certification of qualifications of TVET students with the involvement of employers on the basis of industry associations have not been finalized.

3)    Certificates of the level of professional training of graduates are often not recognized by employers and managers of enterprises. Only some professional employers associations have begun to independently certify college graduates.

4)    The quality of the training of specialists is low. Only 7% of them were accredited by the beginning of 2019, the lack of mechanisms for confirming the quality of the TVET system

5)    There is no single monitoring of the results of the implementation of quality management systems based on ISO standards.

To ensure the quality of TVET in Kazakhstan at the level of educational institutions, the following mechanisms exist: licensing, certification, and accreditation. At the level of students - the final certification of graduates. In accordance with the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan «On Permits and Notifications», educational activities are subject to licensing. Licensing is carried out by the MES RK. Until 2018, state certification of educational organizations was conducted. Certification was carried out by the MES RK. The next quality assurance mechanism is accreditation. College Accreditation Roadmap for 2016-2020 was developed and approved. International accreditation of the TVET organizations is legally established. Accreditation of educational organizations in Kazakhstan is carried out on a voluntary basis and is carried out at the expense of educational organizations. The accreditation procedure is not available to all colleges due to the high cost. In colleges, a «Regulation on a monitoring system for the quality of education» is being developed and monitoring of the quality of education is being carried out, which includes such diagnostic procedures as: diagnostics, testing, questioning, monitoring, certification, tests and creative work. Analysis and evaluation are carried out on the basis of a system of indicators and quality criteria. The main disadvantage is that the monitoring of the quality of education is irregular in nature, carried out sporadically. In addition, the relationship between the survey results is not monitored, due to which the dynamics of changes are not revealed, and trends are not detected.

External evaluation of the system of quality assurance of education is carried out by the state authorities on the compliance of the educational process with normative documents and legislative norms, fulfillment of license indicators, on the part of employers, for which two main criteria are important: Satisfaction of the quality of graduates' training, their qualifications, and reduction of the costs of retraining of personnel, on the part of society, for which the following criteria are important: Availability of education (financial, territorial), employment of graduates, on the part of the student, graduate.

Since 2012, there has been a process of developing new and updating existing educational programs for TVET. Model curricula and programs are developed in accordance with the Law «On Education», the requirements of SCES of the relevant level, on the basis of a competent approach to the organization of the educational process.  MES RK in order to provide methodological assistance to pedagogical workers involved in the development of standard curricula and programs for TVET, a methodological recommendation was approved for the development of standard curricula and programs for TVET. 

To test new teaching technologies and introduce new educational content, experimental educational programs are being developed that are implemented in educational institutions working in the experimental mode. 

Since the 2018 academic year, typical curricula and programs in the specialties of TVET are developed in such a way that graduates can receive up to two working qualifications and the qualification of a middle-level specialist, and in some specialties the qualification of an applied bachelor in one specialty.

Model curricula and programs are subject to approval by an authorized educational authority.

In general, development of the content of curricula and training programs is carried out on the basis of a modular competency approach, taking into account professional standards, requirements and standards of the international WS movement, industry standards. In the absence of WS standards and professional standards for any qualification, the employer's legal documents containing labor functions and job responsibilities are used, in addition, mandatory consultations with the employer are held. 

On the basis of working curricula and a catalog of elective disciplines and (or) modules in the specialty, students with the help of an adviser draw up an individual curriculum (ICP).  The form, structure, procedure for developing and approving the catalog of elective disciplines and (or) modules of ICP are determined independently by the TVET organization. 

In order to take into account the changing demand for professional skills in the labor market, a direct employer, who is a social partner, is involved in the development of work curricula and plans when developing work curricula and programs, while the employer participates in the process of determining learning outcomes and criteria for their evaluation.

In SCES to ensure the interests and requirements of the employer, to achieve the principle of the practical coordination of education, changes were made in accordance with which, in the development and implementation of working curricula and programs, colleges have the right:

-    to change up to 50% of the amount of training time allocated for the development of training material for cycles and up to 60% (up to 80% with DT) of industrial training and professional practice;
-    change the content of curricula up to 50% (up to 80% in case of DT) and up to 60% (up to 80% in case of DT) according to the professional module;

-    introduce additional disciplines (professional modules) at the request of employers while maintaining the total number of hours for compulsory education.

Moreover, given that people with basic secondary education are accepted for training in the TVET organization, at the discretion of the college, general educational disciplines are integrated into the modules.
On the whole, the issues of updating the content of the educational process of the TVET system, including the development and updating of curricula and programs, are carried out by colleges with the methodological support of  NC JSC «Holding «Kasipkor». The initiators are the LEB, colleges together with employers who are social partners.

According to the State plans for the development of education, the National System of qualifications is being revised in accordance with international requirements and the needs of the labor market.

Classifier of professions and specialties of TVET is being finalized in accordance with the requirements of ISCED, new specialties will be introduced taking into account the requirements of employers and international standards.
However, there are problems in this area: 
Mechanism to encourage employers to participate in the process of developing the content of the TVET, namely, the employer has certain rights in this field, but does not always hurry to implement them, since it does not have a direct financial, personnel or other interest;

It is necessary to expedite the consideration of the issue of the Unified National Classifier of Occupations, taking into account the continuity of qualification levels, in order to synchronize curricula and TVET programs with universities, which will optimize training time and eliminate duplicate courses and disciplines;

During the implementation of educational programs in the experimental mode, there may be obstacles to the activities of the organization of education on the part of regulatory authorities (CCES), due to an inconsistent interpretation of the current regulatory standards.

In 2006 European Parliament and the Council of the European Union adopted the «Recommendations on Key Competencies for Lifelong Learning». The recommendations establish eight key competencies (KC).

Currently, the requirements for competencies have changed, as more and more jobs are subject to automation, and entrepreneurial, social and civil competences are becoming increasingly important to ensure sustainability and the ability to adapt to changes, therefore, KC are currently being reviewed and finalized (Recommendations of the Council of the EU of 22 May 2018 «On key competencies for lifelong learning»).

In SCES TVET there is the concept of «core competence» (СC) - the ability to manage oneself and one's own activity, the tendency to self-motivation and self-organization and PC - the ability of a specialist to solve a set of professional tasks based on knowledge, skills and personal qualities that allow for effective implementation professional activity.

In new and updated educational programs, the requirements for the level of training of students are expressed through CC and PC. A separate category of KC, as in the EU countries, is not officially allocated.

Under the KC imply competencies that are related to meta-subject content, can relate to both basic and professional competencies. These are the competencies that graduates need for personal realization and development, active citizenship, social inclusion and employment.

Level of training of students with modular training technology involves the development of modules for the formation of CC and PC. CC are developed for the specialty and address issues of social responsibility, organization of work, relationships with other people in the workplace, which corresponds to such KC of the EU as: 1) communication in the native language; 2) communication in foreign languages; 5) the ability to learn; 6) social and civic competencies.

TVET educational programs include educational components aimed at inspire national values, developing patriotism and citizenship, developing diverse interests, which corresponds to such EU KC as: 1) communication in the mother tongue; 5) the ability to learn; 6) social and civic competencies; 7) initiative and enterprise; 8) knowledge of culture and expression of cultural affiliation. TVET policy is aimed at the formation and development of such CCs that are associated with spiritual and moral values (Program for the modernization of public consciousness «Rukhani Zhangyru»), relevant to the EU KK: 6) social and civic competencies; 8) knowledge of culture and expression of cultural affiliation.

Content of these requirements is recorded in the relevant regulatory documents in the form of standard curricula and programs, qualification or educational standards, focused on the result - on the formed competencies of a qualified worker and specialist.

Among the CC and PC in the development of working training programs and plans include competencies that to some extent overlap with the KC of the EU.

For example, CC: «To have the ability to communicate verbally in the state, Russian and foreign languages ​​to solve interpersonal and intercultural interaction» - corresponds to such KC as: 1) communication in the native language; 2) communication in foreign languages; CC «Use information and communication technologies in professional activities» - 4) competence in the field of information technology; CC «Understanding the legal framework, being aware of oneself and one’s place in society, tolerantly perceiving social, political, ethnic, confessional and cultural differences» - 6) social and civic competencies; 8) knowledge of culture and expression of cultural identity ..

Thus, some Kazakhstan people to some extent overlap with the key competencies of the EU.

Formation of basic and professional competencies is central to the development of a competitive personality and is one of the main tasks facing TVET institutions.

However, unlike the European approach, there is no legally established system of key competences for the TVET.

In the RK, measures implemented by the MES RK do not allow a comprehensive approach to assessing the quality of education, as priority for the MES RK is only an external assessment.

The provision on the internal assessment of the quality of education, as well as the concept of an internal assessment of the quality of the education system in the legislation on education, is not disclosed at all, and the results of a selectively conducted external assessment of the quality of education do not allow the LEB to provide objective internal assessment and timely management decisions.

In practice, the assessment of the quality of education is formed not by the results of educational monitoring, but by the results of control measures within the framework of external control by the MES RK, CCES RK and its structural territorial departments (certification of educational organizations), as well as accreditation agencies. In TVET, only accreditation is carried out.

In accordance with the legislation, external assessment and external quality control of education are carried out at the republican level through the implementation of UNT, EIE and certification of educational organizations.

In the TVET until 2016, an assessment was made of the level of professional training of graduates by the RSMC. Since 2016, APC has been transferred to a competitive environment. College graduates undergo independent certification at certification centers (see B.1.2). However, not all colleges undergo a procedure for assessing professional preparedness and confirming compliance with a specialist’s qualifications, since there is no document regulating the necessary completion of this procedure by college graduates.

Internal assessment and internal quality control of education is carried out by conducting ongoing performance monitoring procedures, intermediate and final certification at the college level.

To improve the level and quality of knowledge acquired by students and for effective management, a quality management system (QMS) is being introduced in some colleges, which fully complies with the requirements of national and international standards.

Presence of QMS in colleges is a guarantee of compliance with the quality management requirements for the training of specialists and staff at each stage, from career guidance for future students to the graduation and employment of graduates. The QMS model includes planning and applies the processes of monitoring, measurement, analysis and improvement in order to demonstrate the conformity of educational services to the requirements of the SCES, to ensure the conformity of the QMS and to constantly increase its effectiveness. However, QMS does not function in all colleges.

MES RK conducts educational monitoring on quantitative indicators of performance, the results of which are not able to ensure the adoption of managerial decisions at all levels of the education system to manage the quality of education.

Therefore, in matters of quality assurance, the voiced problems remain unresolved.

Due to the fact that all government organizations of TVET are under the jurisdiction of the LEB, the main powers and management functions are concentrated in the departments of TVET. However, they have a limited number of employees (3-6 people), which does not allow to inform in a timely manner about the innovations introduced in the TVET policy. At the same time, in each region there are either training centers or training rooms that provide methodological and methodological support to colleges. For more systematic work, consider combining TVET departments of training centers and classrooms with TVET departments of ED.

TVET departments of regional DE are not directly subordinate to the MES RK. Due to the limited state, departments cannot always coordinate relevant inter-territorial, interdepartmental tasks of preparing labor resources and ensure the proper level of development of allocated funds for the development of TVET. The MES RK cannot directly influence the activities of educational institutions, and the establishment of relations between enterprises and employers, as almost all of them are run by the LEB.

All management decisions to support the activities of educational institutions (budgeting, financing, staffing, material and technical equipment, providing educational literature, attracting employers, etc.) are made at the local level.

Existing management mechanism is not consumer-oriented; it does not allow giving a real and accurate assessment of personnel training, what and how many personnel need to be trained, what and where to train them. There are many initiatives, activities, programs and projects for human resource development, but they are often not well coordinated with each other. The positive experience gained is used only at the level of the educational institution or the field, and is not disseminated through the relevant structures at the national level, since there is no mechanism for inter-sectoral institutional relationships.

There is no clear definition and distribution of responsibilities, roles and management processes that are understandable to a wide range of people. Main parameters of the control system are not always effective and efficient.

College is directly managed by the college director. Director and his deputies carry out planning and accounting of educational, educational, methodological, industrial and educational work. In order to improve the quality of training and education of students, pedagogical skills of teachers and improve methodological work in colleges, collegial management bodies are created. Forms of collegial management of the college are pedagogical, educational-methodical, and board of trustees.

Educational institutions have gained some experience in introducing modern methods of managing the quality of education. Practice of introducing education quality management systems in educational institutions in accordance with the requirements and recommendations of the ISO 9001:2001 quality management standard has expanded.

However, there are a number of problems in managing the quality of education in educational institutions, such as:

- poor provision of qualified managers at the level of management of the educational institution, the heads and administrative staff of educational organizations in the majority have no management education;

- lack of motivation for effective management, lack of personnel, logistical, scientific-methodical, financial, organizational, normative legal, information conditions;

- managers of TVET organizations are not accordingly prepared to work with partners from business structures, the culture of joint development of a common opinion on certain issues is not developed;

-  work of the BT of educational institutions is not effective enough.

Thus, there are strengths and weaknesses in managing TVET.

Strengths:

- strategic directions of development of the TVET have been planned;

- distinction was made between powers, competencies and functions between levels of management;

- there are established traditions of hierarchical interaction between different levels of management;

- accountability of local, regional to the republican level of government;

- Independent system of assessment of the quality of educational services in the sphere of TVET is being implemented.

Weaknesses:

- vertical control structure is broken;

- lack of compliance with the principles of accessibility, transparency, democracy, feedback, rational centralization, coordinated management;

- unsuitability in a market environment for command-administrative, administrative management style;

- lack of managerial competence of the personnel of the TVET administration;

- lack of a mechanism for public recognition at the state level of young TVET specialists and social benefits;

- low concern of parties involved in the training management process.

Kazakhstan has a centralized education system with extensive central planning and a detailed system of norms. The government plays an important role in determining educational strategies and in developing key initiatives. 

In Kazakhstan, the mechanisms of accountability, leadership and control are built from the bottom up. Colleges located at the bottom of this pyramid (except for colleges of republican significance) are accountable to regional DE, which, in turn, report to the LEB.
Despite the fact that the regional educational institutions are directly subordinate to the organizations of the LEB, MES RK directly controls the implementation of government programs and the quality of educational services.

National programs and events are initiated by the President of the RK, the Government, the MES RK and other branch ministries and are implemented by the LEB.
MES KR is the competent central authority for education: provides leadership and intersectional coordination in the fields of education, science, the protection of children's rights and youth policy; responsible for the implementation of the Law of the RK «On Education», for strategic planning, management and financing of the education system; regulates the development of curricula, educational plans and programs, student assessment system, management of the republican budget for specific programs; responsible for providing regulatory documents and monitors their implementation.
TVET departments of regional DE across the region are responsible for the development of the TVET system, coordinating the activities of both state and non-state colleges. They are also responsible for the implementation of educational reforms and for monitoring the planning and admission of applicants, whose training is financed from the local budget, coordinating the college budget and monitoring the services provided.
In addition, DE provides colleges with methodological, pedagogical, methodological and psychological services and provides continuing education for teachers. DE in regions are responsible for improving MTB of colleges, acquiring educational and methodological literature, for organizing free meals for certain categories of students, organize and conduct competitions, contests, olympiads etc. among EST and students.

Regional educational authorities regulating TVET are response to the MES RK for the quality of the provision of educational services, for the implementation of state programs in the field of TVET.

Colleges are independent in the implementation of the educational process, the selection and placement of personnel, scientific, financial, economic and other activities within the limits established by the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Other functions of their activities are defined in Article 43 of the Law of the RK «On Education».

College is directly managed by a director who is appointed to this position in a competition . College management is carried out by the college administration, which includes deputy directors and heads of structural units of the college. Engineering and pedagogical workers, in accordance with their official duties, provide normative training, reporting and planning documentation to the chairman of the subject-cycle commission and the deputy director for educational, teaching and methodological work. Deputy directors monitor the quality of the educational process, the implementation of the curriculum and programs.

On approval of the Rules for competitive substitution of heads of state organizations of secondary, technical and vocational, post-secondary education and competitive appointment as heads of state organizations of education implementing general educational programs of preschool, secondary education and educational programs of further education, Order of the MES RK dated February 21 2012 № 57.

Implementation of new projects, programs and other innovations is initiated by the President of the RK, Government, MES RK and is being implemented by the LEB.

Colleges of the RK have a low degree of autonomy. Their responsibilities include the distribution of students by group and specialty, the development of a strategic plan for the college, the creation of a team of leaders (except deputy directors) and the management of the teaching staff.

Educational organizations have collegial government bodies, which address the planning, monitoring and improvement of the educational system of the organization. This is a BT, pedagogical, methodological councils, meetings with director, which are held according to the rules of the college.

Each college has an internal college control plan, a strategic college development plan for 5 years. Every year, until September 1, work plans for educational, training, methodological, production work, quality services, faculty, departments, curators, individual work plans for teachers, masters of VT, development plans for classrooms, and further training plans for teachers and staff of the college are drawn up. The development of a process for measuring, monitoring and improving the most important results of activities through management analysis has been ensured.

In colleges, a quality management system (QMS) is being implemented, which meets the requirements of the international standard. The main document of the QMS of the college is the «Quality Policy», which defines the mission, vision, goals and objectives of the college. Analysis of reports of structural units, external and internal audits, and checks during internal control allow college leaders to identify inconsistencies in the work of departments and college services and develop corrective and preventive actions to correct identified inconsistencies.
National System for Quality Assessment of Education has been established, which includes elements of independent external evaluation (licensing, certification, accreditation, rating, final state certification of graduates, etc.).

In accordance with the Law of the RK «On Permits and Notifications», educational activities are subject to licensing. The issuance of licenses and (or) applications for the right to carry out educational activities is carried out by departments for control in the field of education.
State certification of all colleges is also carried out by departments for control in the field of education. State certification of colleges is carried out once every five years in a planned manner. In 2015, amendments and additions were made to the Law of the RK «On Education». The transition from state certification to independent accreditation of colleges and universities is legally regulated.

Since 2017, the MES RK annually ranks colleges of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Model Rules for the organization of work of the Board of Trustees and the procedure for its election in educational organizations have been approved.

Board of Trustees have been set up in many colleges, which include representatives of local, executive and law enforcement agencies, employers and social partners, and parents. However, in the materials of the reports submitted by the colleges to the accreditation bodies, there is no information that would indicate the real participation of the BT in decision-making.
 

At the national level, since the last TP round, there have been no significant changes in the institutional and management mechanisms. Main changes affected the management system only at the college level.

Order of the MES RK dated July 27, 2017 № 355. «Typical rules for organizing the work of the BT and the procedure for its election in educational organizations».
Since 2018, a pilot project has been implemented (in colleges of Pavlodar, Karaganda, North-Kazakhstan regions) to introduce per capita financing with the approval of cost rates for training one specialist. And from January 1, 2019, colleges from DT of the country switched to the mechanism of per capita financing. Autonomy in financial management of the college requires from directors they professional skills, knowledge of budgeting and accounting.

It is assumed that the introduction of per capita financing in TVET organizations will affect the improvement of the quality of education, the competitiveness of educational institutions, and the independence of colleges in spending budget funds. The advantage of per capita financing is that it clarifies the costing of tuition. It takes into account all the components for calculating the cost of training. Payment to the master-mentor is provided in the amount of 8318 tenge per student. With per capita funding, the amount of funding depends on the number of students, means, the mentor hours are paid per student multiplied by the number of students in the group . 
Boards of trustees are created in colleges to ensure transparency of college management and additional attraction of financial and material resources to support MTB and general activities in colleges . Boards of trustees of college exercises public control over the observance of students' rights, as well as over the spending of charitable assistance, makes recommendations on priority areas for the development of educational organizations; hears the reports of the head of the organization of education, makes proposals to the LEB in the field of education on eliminating shortcomings in the work of the organization of education, etc. Thus, the BT does not have a real influence on decision making. 

Another measure to improve the management of colleges is the recently proposed transfer of colleges to trust management. 

For the transfer, it is planned to create a project office at the NCE «Аtameken»; identify a list of potential companies and colleges for transfer; change the organizational and legal form of colleges upon transfer to trust management and increase the size of the state order, taking into account depreciation payments on transferred colleges to trust management.

This will allow, firstly, to update MTB of colleges, secondly, to reduce the burden on the budget, and thirdly, employers will have the opportunity to directly go into the educational process of training specialists and train specialists with relevant skills.

Improving the quality of management has allowed colleges to switch to new forms of management. According to the MES RK as of 01.10.2018, 61 colleges in the legal form became state enterprises on the basis of economic management. The state enterprise, on the basis of the right of economic management, is maintained at the expense of its own income from its own activities. These colleges themselves determine the form of remuneration, staffing, size of salaries, bonus system, etc.
 

It is not possible to ensure the effective work of colleges without the participation of business. The country has measures to mobilize the participation of non-state subjects in terms of training personnel with TVET. Employer associations are responsible for developing professional standards and industry qualifications frameworks.

Employers, industry associations and other business structures take part in the formation of the state order, in the development DT graduates, in the certification of college graduates, training of teachers and masters in production and other reforms that are aimed at improving the TVET.

In Kazakhstan, on February 1, 2018, a General Agreement was signed between the Government, the republican associations of employers and the republican associations of trade unions for 2018-2020, which is aimed at facilitating the creation of new industries using digital technologies, expanding the competitive advantages of traditional basic sectors of the domestic economy through the introduction of elements of the Fourth industrial revolution, effective regulation of the labor market by ensuring a balance of supply and demand in conditions technological updating and digitalization of the economy and improving the efficiency of budget expenditures.  It should also be noted that the obligations of the participants are indicated in the agreement, for example, the republican associations of employers have committed themselves to assist in the training of specialists with specialized industry skills, to stimulate the introduction of DT in enterprises and to spread the institution of mentoring, and to participate in the development and updating of educational programs.

Under the agreement, the parties agreed to promote the implementation of TVET reforms and policies: building students skills (IT, financial literacy and other social skills), financing, creating conditions for «lifelong learning», expanding PPP and attracting private investment in education, to promote the prestige and motivation of teaching staff, etc.

This agreement applies to government agencies, workers and their representatives, as well as to all employers, regardless of ownership.

Main representative of non-state subjects in TVET is NCE «Аtameken». This union includes all accredited associations of small, medium and (or) large enterprises. As of 2019, 171 associations (unions) and 31 experts have been accredited in NCE «Аtameken». All accredited associations and experts are included in the register of accredited associations and experts and are posted on the website NCE «Аtameken; (atameken.kz).   

Non-state subjects include EMA by profiles that coordinate educational, educational, methodological and scientific-methodical work in TVET organizations. The main objective of EMA activity is the preparation of proposals and recommendations on the implementation of state policy in the field of TVET. Currently, EMAO by profile operate at the base of 66 colleges, regardless of ownership.

Сolleges have youth committees that organize mass sports, scientific, educational work with students, as well as provide social support to students. The Youth Affairs Committees work in close cooperation with the DE. In addition, in Kazakhstan there are such youth organizations as «Zhas Otan», the youth movement «For the Future of Kazakhstan», the association of student youth «Alliance of Students of Kazakhstan», the Republican Youth Social and Political Movement «Kaysar», and the youth center «Leader XXI». These youth organizations create conditions for the active participation of young people in the social, economic and cultural life of the country, closely cooperate with college students, and conduct various cultural and educational events on the basis of colleges.

Employers are actively involved in shaping TVET policy regarding the content of educational programs. The content of educational programs, the development of colleges through public procurement, employment of graduates and participation in adult education are resolved with the active participation of college associations, social partners, and employers.

Therefore, the non-governmental sector (employers, students and graduates) is making efforts to participate in the life of the regions and the country as a whole, especially with regard to the content of education and the formation of a development and support strategy for students. The participation of employer representatives at the national level is regular and formalized.

MES RK interacts with other branch state bodies in the implementation of the strategy for the formation of state policy in the field of education and science, in particular, regarding the functioning of an effective system of technical and vocational education integrated into the world educational space, improving the quality of training and competitiveness of staff, developing social partnership and other

At the regional level, LEB conduct strategic, medium-term economic, budget planning. They approve programs for the development of education in the region, decide on reduced fare for students on public transport, and develop and submit for approval of the maslikhat, programs for the development of education (E 1.3).

Distribution of functions and responsibilities between state subjects is suitable and transparent for all participants. Non-state subjects are also involved in taking responsibility for training in the TVET system.

Since 2018, Investor Partnership Roadmap for the Development and Improvement of TVET is being implemented, which provides components for the development of partnerships with investors both domestic and foreign, the improvement of the quality of pedagogical personnel and the updating of content, as well as the development of a system for recognition of qualifications and certification of skills.

Within the confines of the Roadmap as of July 2019, 6 centers of competence were established by industry together with foreign investors in the areas of: construction, mining and metallurgy, agricultural, oil and gas, mining and metallurgical industries.

24 state councils / commissions have been created under state bodies. NCE «Аtameken» accredits industry associations. In 2016, the total number of associations (unions) accredited in the National Chamber was 126; in 2017, 28 associations (unions) were accredited; in total, 172 associations (unions) are currently accredited to NCE «Аtameken». Industry associations participate in TVET policy discussions.

 In 2015, Law of the RK «On Public-Private Partnership» (with amendments and additions as of April 3, 2019) was adopted, which sets the rights and obligations of public and private partners, state regulation in the field of PPP, forms of participation in PPP, general provisions by definition of a private partner and features of legal regulation.

In Kazakhstan PPP Project Support Center under the MNE RK was established. The team of professional experts and analysts in the field of PPP has implemented more than 30 unique PPP projects to date. The Center implements projects on such areas as education, health, energy, culture and sports, housing and social facilities, telecommunications, transport and infrastructure, and others. In the field of education, 271 contracts have been concluded for the amount of 74 billion tenge. (Source: PPP project Support center pppcenter.kz).

For 2018-2019, as part of the PPP, it is planned to build a vocational-technical lyceum for 600 places with a dormitory for 200 places in the «SPMK-70» area of the city of Kyzylorda. Currently, work is underway to adjust the concession proposal, to develop tender documentation and a draft concession agreement.

In addition, since the beginning of 2019, work has been ongoing to discuss the transfer of colleges to the business structure through trust management without the right to buy out. According to the MES RK, there is now experience transferring 5 colleges to trust. Of these, 3 colleges in the Pavlodar region, 2 colleges in the Almaty region. This measure will enable colleges to build management on the result and on the implementation of a new financing model, while business will benefit from orienting the learning process to providing for its own staffing needs and the ability to optimize the staff of enterprises at the expense of practicing students. But, it is also necessary to take into account the opposite effect of this measure, due to the fact that enterprises will attract their employees as masters of VT, mentors, it is likely that teachers will be left without work.

Process of forming a budget application both at the republican and local levels is carried out in accordance with the Budget Code  and the Rules for the preparation and submission of a budget application.

Roadmap of investor partnership for the development and improvement of technical and vocational education.

Colleges of the country have two main sources of financing: the state budget and private financing.

State budget is divided into republican and local. The costs of the TVET system are financed both from the republican and local budgets. On the balance of the republican budget of the MES RK financing is provided for only 2 colleges of the country («APEC PettoTechnic» High College in Atyrau, College «Samopoznanie» in Almaty) and the implementation of the «Enbek» program.

It should be noted that the provision of state services to 463 colleges on the provision of the LEB which are responsible for financing and providing the current budget for construction, capital and ongoing repairs, equipping the MTB, training students, paying salaries to teachers and masters of IT, etc.

Mechanism for compiling a republican and local budget application is single. The preparation of a budget application at all levels is based on the volume of expenditures of both level of expenditure and the new initiatives and is based on expenditure limits and a report on the implementation of the strategic plan for the previous financial year.

 Republican budget application of the MES RK for the development of TVET is compiled by the Department of TVET together with the departments of budget planning (DBP) and financing (DF) of the MES RK. The formed budget application of the MES RK is submitted to the MNE and MF for approval, then to the republican budget commission for decision-making and consideration in the Mazhilis. The budget application approved by the Mazhilis is accepted for execution by the DGRK.

Local budget is formed in accordance with the Budget Code, the republican budget and approved by regional maslikhats.

Colleges form and make up the expenses planned for the training of TVET personnel in accordance with the messages of the Head of State, instructions and other initiatives and reforms in TVET, as well as with the strategic plan of colleges and submit to the department of planning and economic work of the DE. Representatives of the DE send the budget request to the akimats, where the final decision is made by the maslikhat.

Adjustments to the budget and its implementation are carried out by colleges and, when changes are made, they are brought to the departments of economic planning and accounting and public procurement.

It should also be oted that a budget application is being formed and compiled for the upcoming three-year period. Such a formal approach requires repeated refinement and adjustment during the financial year.

A private source of funding for TVET is tuition fees (for 2018, 43.6% of students study on a paid basis) and other paid educational services (conferences, seminars and short-term courses). Revenues from private sources are provided to improve MTB of colleges and improve the professional skills of teachers and masters of VT.
 

In the RK, state financial planning of expenditures and budget of the TVET system is an integral part of state socio-economic planning and a subsystem of the financial mechanism and represents the legislatively regulated activities of specialized planning and financial, as well as other authorized bodies of the state for the development, consideration, approval and execution of financial plans.

Basis of financial planning is the budget process, which is the legislatively regulated activity of authorized planning and financial bodies for the development and preparation, consideration of the draft republican and local budgets, approval of the republican and local budgets and the organization of their implementation, control over their implementation, conclusion of the republican and local budgets . Functions of the central authorized body for budget execution relate to the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the functions of local authorized planning and financial bodies relate to the LEB. 

In the framework of financial planning, the budget is formed on the basis of the goals and planned results of state policy, while responsibility for decision-making is delegated to the lower levels. For example, to improve the processes of expenditure planning, the formation and execution of both the republican and local budgets in accordance with the Budget Code and the Rules for the preparation of the budget application , an opportunity is provided in the form of adjustments and refinement of budgets during the corresponding financial year by making changes and additions taking into account the proposals of colleges. This is aimed at eliminating the situation that threatens the inefficient distribution and use of budget funds. In addition, an assessment of the activities of budget administrators is carried out based on the results achieved. 

The implementation of this approach provides that each budget cycle begins with a review of the main parameters of the medium-term financial plan for the corresponding fiscal year previously approved in the previous budget cycle, analysis of changes in external factors and conditions, justification of changes made to the main budget indicators of the planned year, as well as adjustments or development of budget designs for subsequent years. In that connection, it was essential to include in the medium-term financial document, in terms of results-based budgeting, an annual allocation of appropriations for the three-year period to the administrators of the budget. This extends the period of budget planning, creates incentives for optimizing budgetary expenditures, promotes the formation of a system of indicators of budgetary expenditure performance, increases the objectivity of evaluation of college activities, accelerates preparation and improves the quality of the budget project, both local and republican. 

In order to improve the planning processes of financing in the TVET system, the spending of budgetary funds is aimed at the policy on the transition of colleges to a mechanism of per capita financing, which will allow to establish transparency and uniform approaches in the planning of budgetary expenditures.
 

State funding involves ensuring that the state allocates annual budgetary allocations for education, taking into account its priority. The amount of allocated funds should ensure the functioning of the educational institution in accordance with the SCES.

 According to the Law of the RK «On Education» (Chapter 9, Article 61), state expenditure on education is formed from the expenses of the republican and local budgets, as well as other sources of financing. Sources of financing of state colleges: 1) budgetary financing of maintenance of state educational institutions; 2) budgetary financing of state educational order; 3) incomes from rendering of paid services, not contradicting legislation of the RK; 4) credits of banks of the second level; 5) sponsorship and charitable assistance, gratuitous contributions and donations, grants.

Revenues from the sale of services provided under the state educational order, remaining as a result of the financial and economic activities of educational organizations for the current financial year, are used by them in the next financial year.

Sources of financing for non-governmental organizations of TVET: 1) financial resources of founders 2) budget financing of the state educational order; 3) income from the provision of paid services that do not contradict the legislation of the RK; 4) loans of second-tier banks; 5) sponsorship and charitable assistance, gratuitous deductions and donations, grants.

Main source of funding for state colleges is the funds of the republican and local budgets. Colleges receive income from the provision of paid services, as well as through charity, gratuitous deductions and donations. One of the indirect sources of financing is loans from financial institutions to students through educational loan programs, for example, Financial Center JSC, together with second-tier banks, implements an educational loan guarantee program.

In the structure of budget expenditures in 2018, 17.1% accounted for education (1.9 trillion tenge). For example, in 2016, the state budget expenditures on education amounted to 1.6 trillion tenge, an increase of 22% compared with 2015. In the structure of the state budget, education costs annually amount to at least 17-18% of all costs and are in second place after spending on social assistance and social security.

College budget programs are administered by local governments. In accordance with article 6 of the Budget Code of the RK, the regional budget, the budgets of the city of republican significance, the capital, the budget of the district (city of regional significance) relate to local budgets. In 2018, the share of financing from the local budget amounted to 3% of the state budget (Source: Statistics Statement of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan as of February 1, 2019, № 1).

In case if the local budget is not enough to finance education, then transfers from the republican budget are sent to these regions. In accordance with Article 46 of the Budget Code of the RK, all transfers from the republican budget to education are targeted and are sent in the necessary amount for the implementation of specific programs.

Education in all colleges in the first working profession is free in accordance with the project «Free TVET». State colleges are funded from the local budget and republican transfers. Financing on the basis of an educational state order is carried out regardless of the legal form of colleges. The cost of training per year for one student according to the current methodology in 2018 is 373.8 thousand tenge.

As of January 1, 2019, 214841 students were enrolled in colleges of the country due to the state educational order. The amount of funding for these students amounted to 81,484,426 tenge.

In Kazakhstan, out of 821 colleges, 342 are private colleges. Private colleges operate on equal terms with state. The contingent of students in private colleges as of October 1, 2018 is 209189 people. Of the 488,712 students enrolled in the 2017-2018 academic year, 56% of students study on a paid basis.

In college, tuition of one student on a paid basis costs parents from 100 thousand to 380 thousand and the average cost of education per year per student is 240 thousand tenge.

Legislation permits the use of additional sources of financing, including employers' funds on the basis of PPP. PPP is an additional mechanism for financing college infrastructure. For example, a project for the construction of student dormitories, based on the principles of PPP, provides an opportunity for investors to provide a return on investment, as well as to leave the property in the ownership for further business development. The return of investment is guaranteed by the state in the format of placing a targeted state order (according to the Kazakhstan PPP Center, 2018).

College sponsorship and charitable donations are not planned, as this assistance is voluntary and intermittent. Colleges provide a report on the receipt and expenditure of proceeds from sponsorship, charitable assistance. These revenues are spent by colleges for their intended purpose.

In call of the need to ensure transparency in the use of funds received as sponsorship and charitable assistance in colleges, BT have been created, which are a form of collegial management and interact with the college administration, parent committee, LEB, employers and other interested parties. These boards act as mechanisms to promote the equitable distribution of sponsorship contributions.

Charitable assistance mainly goes to equipping classrooms with interactive whiteboards, computers, furniture, providing social assistance, etc.

It is not possible to determine the share of the contribution of non-governmental, private organizations, enterprises, social partners to the budget of colleges, since financing of colleges by private organizations is not regulated by regulatory documents.

Colleges cannot generate their own income, except for the provision of paid educational services. Although the presence of MTB, laboratory facilities, human resources allow colleges to produce products for sale in order to obtain additional profit.

Government policy in the field of education is aimed at diversifying the sources of financing TVET system. In accordance with the Strategic Plan for the Development of the RK until 2025 (Decree of the President of the RK dated February 15, 2018 № 636), «PPP and attracting private investment in the field of education» were singled out as one of the initiatives. This initiative is an important tool to improve the quality of educational services, reduce the burden on public education facilities, the lack of places in educational institutions, and the development of private educational services.

PPP is a mutually beneficial cooperation of state bodies and entrepreneurs in industries traditionally related to the sphere of responsibility of the state, on the basis of a balanced distribution of risks, benefits and costs, rights and obligations defined in the relevant agreements.

Legislation in the field of PPP is based on the Constitution of the RK, the Civil Code, the Law «On Public-Private Partnership» and other regulatory legal acts of the RK, determines the legal conditions of PPP, the ways of its implementation and regulates public relations arising in the process of preparation and implementation of the project, conclusion, performance and termination of the contract. PPP by the method of implementation is divided into institutional and contractual. Institutional is implemented by the PPP company in accordance with the contract. The contract is implemented through the conclusion of the contract, including in the following forms: «... 2) trust management of state property; 3) property hiring (leasing) of state property; 4) leasing;...»

Tasks of PPP in the field of TVET: involvement of the private sector in the management of public assets; reduction of financial burden on the budget; attraction of investments; expansion of models of interaction between the state and business. To ensure the implementation of these processes, a PPP Project Support Center was created.

Currently, the implementation of PPP projects in the TVET system is underway. The business shows a certain interest in the development and management of joint projects aimed at improving the training of workers. As part of attracting private funding, it is planned to organize the interaction of colleges and companies. Partnership contributions from companies will include assistance in equipping workshops and training grounds, the possibility of internships, a mentoring system, the provision of sites for training and practical training events; meaning is, equipping MTB colleges from private sources. Within the framework of the state program for the development of education for 2016-2019, PPP projects are being implemented for the construction of dormitories of colleges.

In order to attract financing from private sources, reduce the burden on the budget, in the field of TVET, transfer to trust management of colleges to large enterprises is being implemented. In 2017, the MES RK, approved the Roadmap for the implementation of trust management of organizations implementing TVET programs.

Currently, in the framework of the program for transferring colleges to trust, the issue of changing the form of ownership of colleges from the State Committee for Civil Protection, SUC to JSC or LLP for the transfer of voting shares (stakes in the authorized capital) of legal entities to autonomous educational organizations, the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the RK, is being discussed and legal entities included in its system, for transferring an object to trust management without the right of subsequent redemption in compliance with the requirements of existing legislation (SAM «On state property «; Order of the MNE of the RK dated January 16, 2015 № 17» Rules for the transfer of state property to trust «).

Obligations of trustees include the co-financing of college activities and the creation of additional services to increase revenue from extra budgetary sources, which significantly reduces the costs of the local budget for financing TVET.

Since January of this year, a per capita financing mechanism has been introduced in colleges with DT, which provides for the transition from financing the costs of educational institutions to financing the costs of training students, depending on their number, on the principle of «money goes for the student.»

 This will increase competition between educational organizations and the quality of educational services. At the same time, the state educational order is placed in colleges regardless of the form of ownership, which will motivate the private sector to expand the network of private colleges. Sanitary rules and norms (SanPiN) and Building relegations (BR) of colleges will be revised, which will save money on the maintenance of college infrastructure.

JSC «Financial Center» together with second-tier banks implements the Program for guaranteeing educational loans (GEL). GEL system is designed for those who study at paid college departments. Loans are granted in tranches in the amount of tuition per semester. Second-tier banks participate in the GOK system: «Nurbank» JSC, «Tengri Bank» JSC, «Forte Bank» JSC, «Sberbank» JSC. At the same time, each of the partner banks has developed its own lending program to pay for training with the conditions and requirements for the borrower.

According to Article 62 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan «On Education», the state ensures the allocation of budgetary funds for education, taking into account its priority.

Normative legal acts regulating the management of educational assets are the Constitution and its article № 30, the Law «On Education», the Law «On Minimum Social Standards and their Guarantees  and other regulatory documents.

In Kazakhstan, TVET organizations are divided into republican, state and private. According to the Model rules for activities of types of TVET  Organizations, colleges are independent in shaping their structure and in financial and economic activities. The delegation of authority to the regions contributed to the operational and financial independence of state colleges.

Colleges receive state funding from regional authorities in the framework of agreements and are free to receive income from the provision of TVET services in the market. However, they are not entitled to receive income from renting their premises and from selling any products, with the exception of educational services in the field of TVET, therefore a large proportion of financing is based on state orders.

According to the rules of placing a state order for the training of specialists with TVET education, a state order is placed in colleges regardless of the form of ownership and departmental subordination, taking into account the sectorial and regional needs for personnel. The composition of the commission on the placement of state orders includes representatives of sectorial state bodies, maslikhats and akimats, NCE, public organizations.

According to the MES RK on the financing of public procurement, it is clear that the more students means more funding. Most of all students are under the state order in Almaty, East Kazakhstan and Kostanay regions (Table 36).

* - Costs in the regions differ for the following reasons: a different number of colleges in the regions, which affects the cost of their maintenance; profile of specialties for which training is being carried out as part of a state order in the region provides for various expenses.

Financing of state educational organizations is carried out at the expense of budgetary funds on the basis of requirements established by the SCES on educational levels and norms defined by the legislation of the RK. Government spending on education from GDP in 2015 was 2.8%, in 2016-3%, in 2017 - 2.9% (Source: World Data Atlas). However, in order to achieve 4th goal of sustainable development - quality education, the UN recommends purposefully increasing funding for education and allocating at least 4-6% of GDP for its needs.

Main sources of financing are the republican and local budgets. According to the Budget Code of the RK (art. 54.), the expenses of the regional budget are carried out in the field of TVET in the following areas: the purchase and delivery of textbooks and teaching materials; training specialists with TVET, with the exception of those funded from the Republic of Belarus; advanced training and retraining of employees of state organizations financed from budgetary funds at the local level; MTB support of state educational organizations that implement professional curriculum of TVET (with the exception of educational organizations in correctional institutions of the penal system); state support of TVET for orphans, children, children with disabilities, their compulsory employment and provision of housing; free and reduced-price meals for certain categories of students in the manner prescribed by law; fulfillment of state obligations on PPP projects adopted by the maslikhat of the relevant field; compensation of expenses under a contract of trust management of state property.

From the regional budgets are financed the costs of capital expenditures of state colleges, as well as the costs of retraining and advanced training of teachers.

TVET financing mechanism at the local level takes into account the following types of mandatory expenses: compensation, payment of health benefits for annual paid vacation and employer contributions for taxes and other mandatory payments to the employees' budget; Compensation of fee of mentors in the workplace during the implementation of DT; organization and implementation of the educational process; expenses associated with the organization of practical training and industrial training, the passage of educational, technological and undergraduate practice; Communal expenses; expenses for paying for postal and telephone services, Internet services; expenses for maintenance, maintenance and servicing of buildings, structures, technological equipment, computer and office equipment, interactive systems; the acquisition of goods necessary to support the activities of educational organizations with per capita regulatory funding that are not used in the educational process; purchase of medicines and other medical supplies; rental costs of premises; payment of banking (financial) services.

Therefore, TVET organizations are mainly supported by the local budget and at the local level the cost of education is much higher than at the national level - they make up from 26% to 28% of the total budgets (Table 37).

It is on LEB that the primary responsibility lies for allocating funds and financing educational assets of the state. Most of the funds are spent on secondary education because of its duration and universal coverage. The standard distribution of the local budget by education level is as follows:

Despite the fact that education is associated mainly with the MES RK, actually there is 13 departments spend money on education. If we consider the costs of the republican budget for 2018, we can see that the first largest budget, of course, is at the MES RK (49.7%), then at the Ministry of Culture and Sports (28.4%), in third place is the Ministry defense (12.8%) and the latter - Ministry of Health (9.2%)  (Source: statistical statement of MF RK)

Annual financing plan is drawn up on the basis of the calculation of expenses for the budget program (subprogram) presented as part of the budget application by administrators of budget programs, approved by the budget commission and finalized taking into account decisions made during approval (clarification, adjustment) of the budget. Then it is approved by the authorized body for budget planning and transferred to the authorized body for budget execution, and is also sent to administrators of budget programs in accordance with the Agreement. The college budget is planned in accordance with the rules for the preparation and submission of a budget application for one calendar year in accordance with the contingent at the beginning of the planned year.

Distribution of funds in the college is carried out in accordance with the approved cost estimate for the current year. The cost estimate takes into account the main directions of college development, provided for in the development strategy, the enrollment of students is compiled on the basis of approved financial standards.

Expenditure side of the budget includes the costs of performing work and the provision of services, which is grouped in accordance with their economic content. In general, the distribution and use of financial resources ensures the implementation of the main activities of the college.

In 2017, financing MTB for colleges amounted to 1 504 144.2 thousand tenge, which is 2.3 times higher than in 2016 (644 284.8 thousand tenge). A comparative analysis of the MTB equipment of the colleges indicates a positive trend in the increase in the number of classrooms, laboratories, workshops, car (tractor) dromes in 2018 compared to 2016 (Table 39).

MES RK is responsible for the strategic planning, management and financing of the TVET system, including the preparation of draft budgets, for the implementation of the Law of the RK «On Education». Therefore, the task of ensuring a sufficient amount of resources for TVET and their fair distribution is the prerogative of the MES RK.

Ministry also regulates the allocation and management of certain financial resources (namely, targeted transfers and republican budgets for specific programs and projects). At the national level, information and details about the budget and financial activities are provided to a limited extent. The MES RK is making efforts to increase transparency by creating an official website and encouraging similar actions by state educational institutions.

As an effort to address the financial needs of the TVET system, ensuring the fair distribution of financial resources, the country is working to introduce per capita financing in colleges with DT. The introduction of the proposed new financing model will help the TVET system move toward a more efficient, transparent and equitable financing scheme. In support of the implementation of the per capita funding model, the work of the BT will be directed. The BT at the college participates in the distribution of financial resources received in the organization of education in the form of charitable assistance and makes a decision on its target spending, develops proposals when forming the budget of the organization of education. The role of BT will increase with the transfer of colleges to the trust management of enterprises.

Next measure aimed at ensuring an adequate amount of resources for TVET is the obligation of subsoil users to finance the training of Kazakhstan personnel in the manner approved by the Ministry of Investment and Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan in conjunction with the MES RK. Kazakhstan personnel are trained in one or more of the following ways:

      -  financing for the purposes of training, retraining, advanced training of subsoil user workers who are citizens of the RK including in their own training (educational) centers with a legal entity that is a subsoil user;

     - financing for the purposes of training, retraining, advanced training of citizens of the RK who are not employees of the subsoil user;

    -  acquisition, according to the information provided by the LEB and agreed with the competent authority, of the list of goods, works and services necessary to improve the MTB of educational organizations engaged in training personnel in specialties directly related to the sphere of subsoil use.

   - a subsoil user can also provide financing for the purposes of training, retraining, and advanced training of the following categories of citizens of the RK who are not subsoil user employees: disabled people of groups 1, 2, and 3; orphans and children left without parental care, under the age of twenty-one years, having lost their parents before adulthood; families with many children; single-parent families.