Tableofcontents

General Overview.. 3

IQAA research report 3

Workshop Day 1. 4

Workshop Day 2. 5

Conclusion. 6

General Overview

The seminar was held on June 14-15, 2021 with the aim to explore and discuss internal and external assessment mechanisms and current challenges that are faced by the dual professional education system at higher educational organizations and colleges in Kazakhstan. During two days of meetings participants shared their experience, concerns and recommendations on improvement of dual education system. On Day 1, two workshops were conducted in total. Participants in the workshop 1 includedrepresentatives of local universities and colleges, while the workshop 2 involved deputies of Ministry of Education (MESRK), IQAA, ACQUIN and CEENQA. In addition, members of the seminar raised issues on the relevance of the programme at local educational organizations, development of separate standards and criteria, involvement of the companies and entrepreneurs in the conceptualization of the dual programme as well as on the ways to increase their motivationand interest in investment into future employers.On Day 2foreign participants shared their international experience, knowledge and practice of dual education with Kazakhstani colleagues that may help for adaptation of the system to local conditions and national context.Representatives of IQAA and CEENQA delivered the results of their research projects on dual education system in Kazakhstani educational organizations and in Central and Eastern European higher education frameworks, respectively. ACQUIN deputy discussed on the processeson the internal and external assessment standards in the European and German context.

IQAA research report

The role of the IQAA was topresent the results of the report that has been developed based on theinterviews conducted on 13 May, 2021 with two focus groups. Each focus group consisted of 4 representatives of diverse colleges and universities in Kazakhstan that implement the dual professional education. Each interview lasted about an hour. The results of the research showed that the implementation of dual professional education has started at different time. The fields of dual professional education depend on the type of the educational organization. The educational organizations face certain challenges in the implementation of the dual professional education, particularly with the enterprises. In particular, enterprises or various organizations, where students may have their trainings or internships, do not always support and cooperate with educational organizations.

Regarding the national legislations that envisage the implementation of the dual professional education, the representatives of both colleges and universities stated that there are not concrete regulations that define what dual professional education is in fact. Some state acts on education may contain brief information on dual professional education; however, they may not serve as a base for the successful implementation of the dual professional education.

Moreover, the participants stated that they do not have internal mechanisms that assess the quality of dual professional education. The majority of the educational organizations have undergone international accreditation of their educational programs. However, they could not observe any discrepancies between national and international standards. The possible explanation for this could be the adaptation of ESG standards to the national context.

According to the recommendations of the representatives on improving the implementation of the dual professional education, three different areas have been developed. The first area considers the legislative documents on defining the dual professional education, the second one suggests determining the key stakeholders while the third area refers to the financial support.

Finally, the organization of the collaborative work between universities and colleges on successful implementation of the dual professional education has been suggested. Such kind of cooperation contributes to exchanging best practices and solving certain difficulties.

Workshop Day 1

During the workshops, members of the seminar determined the main obstacles and limitations of the dual study programme. Participants included South Kazakhstan University named after M. Auezov, Electrotechnical College in Semey, AbaiKazakh National Pedagogical University, Shakarim University, Karaganda Higher Polytechnic College, Karaganda University of the name of academician E.A.Buketov. Also,the Ministry of Education MESRK, accreditation agencies – IQAA, ACQUIN and CEENQA participated in the discussion.

Several important points were highlighted by the representatives. For instance, deputy of the South Kazakhstan University mentioned the absence of clearly defined standards and criteria for the dual education which can regulate the process and meet the interests of all stakeholders, including financial remuneration for students and supervisors. Also, IQAA confirmed the need for the development of separate procedures for accreditation of dual programmes in Kazakhstan and for assistance of international experts in this field. In addition, Svetlana Karstina from Karagandy University pointed on the lack of interest and cooperation from the side of companies and enterprises. Representative of the Electrotechnical College stated that one of the reasons for low motivation of companies in participation in dual programme was a lack of financial investments. ACQUIN shared the experience of Germany in implementation of the dual educational system. Students in Germany are employed legally and companies there show a great interest in development of the program content. Hence, low rate of involvement of enterprises and absence of legal regulations are the main issues faced by the local dual system that need to be taken into account.

Workshop Day 2

On the second day of the seminar participants discussed on the applicability of the German standards on dual education system, their adaptation to the national context and necessary changes/points that should be considered. ACQUIN mentioned that the dual programmes in Germany are intense (duration 3 years) and students show high motivations and good results at the end of the study. Also, theoretical and practical phases can be conducted in parallel. Representative of the Karaganda University of the name of academician E.A.Buketov pointed on the three main challenges for adaptation of dual programme which are (1) unpopularity of the dual system; (2) lack of support from local companies; (3) the need to develop practice-oriented final assessments and criteria. Overall, significant issues were identified and individual recommendations were received for further review.

Senior expert of IQAA Analysis and quality department AkerkeAyaganova presented the findings of qualitative report on internal and external assessment mechanisms at the Kazakh educational organizations. Responds of delegates from universities and colleges on internal assessment and difficulties in implementing the dual professional education helped to compose the following recommendations: development of specific regulations for dual programmes, determining the key stakeholders, provision of financial support for students and mentors. Interestingly, there was a lack of cooperation between universities and colleges as they encounter similar challenges in implementing the dual education.

Deputies of the CEENQA, Maja Milas and Jan Philipp Engelmann, presented the results of the analysis on the policy developments and the quality assurance system of dualprofessional education in Central and Eastern European higher education frameworks(Slovenia, Montenegro, Ukraine, The Czech Republic, Latvia). The final suggestions included establishment of close cooperation between key players in vocational and higher education,particularly HEIs and employers; introduction of suitable institutional responsibilities for legislation, supervision and qualityassurance;design of specific standards for dual programmes/work-based learning.

ACQUIN representative conducted the presentation on the European and German context on the internal and external assessment standards. The key outputs included: ESG should be used as a main reference point for the external assessment; additional criteria for dual programs can be adapted to the national context; different criteria should be considered when assessing colleges andHEIs;further national regulations and definitions are necessary toprovide a basic framework for an external assessment.

Conclusion

The main challenges and limitations in conceptualization of the dual education system in Kazakhstan include lack of cooperation with local companies and enterprises, absence of national legislations and clear standards for accreditation of dual programmes, deficiency in financial remuneration for students and supervisors, poor communication between educational organizations, low public awareness about the benefitsof dual programmes. Participants of the seminar shared their insights and recommendations for further improvement of the dual education in Kazakhstan considering features of the national educational system. Also, at the end of the seminar members received feedback survey for filling additional comments and suggestions.