Fourth WorldSkills Kazakhstan Championship took place Dec. 3-7, 2018, in Astana. For four days, over 350 college students from all regions of the country competed in skills in 30 different specialties. The competition aims to develop technical and vocational education. The award ceremony was opened by the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Bakytzhan Sagintayev

Sagintayev thanked the college students who came from the regions of the country to participate and congratulated all the organizers and guests on the successful completion of the republican championship. The Prime Minister said that at a recent expanded meeting of the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, business representatives accepted the invitation and from next year they will actively work with the WorldSkills Kazakhstan association to train qualified personnel.

The main goal of the WorldSkills Kazakhstan Championship is to show the prestige of working professions, to enable young workers to gain practical skills and high qualifications in demand in the modern labor market.

It was noted that Kazakhstan joined the Worldskills movement in 2014. At the same time, there are good results already. If In the first year of participation in the WorldSkills Competition in San Paolo in 2015, the Kazakhstan team was in the 50th place, in 2017 in Abu Dhabi — the 24th place. At the same time, the development of vocational and higher education in the country opens up prospects for further improvement of indicators.

Special attention was paid to the need for continuous learning and mastering new professions. This is due to technological upgrading of workflows. In this regard, the Government is conducting systematic work together with employers and foreign experts to further improve the vocational education program and increase the competitiveness of domestic personnel in the constantly changing labor market.

The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan highlighted a number of bright works of the participants of the championship and presented awards to the winners in six areas:

• IT Solutions for Business (3rd place — I. Abdulabayev, 2nd place — I. Chuprynin, 1st place — M. Sokolovsky);
• Electronics (3rd place — A. Prosetsky, 2nd place — O. Halimov, 1st place — P. Fetisov);
• Web Design (3rd place — N. Mineyev, 2nd place — A. Munko, 1st place — I. Simanov);
• Graphic Design (3rd place — F. Yevdokimov, 2nd place — I. Medkhatov, 1st place — D. Bolat);
• CAD Engineering Graphics Using Computer Design Technologies (3rd place — S. Zhailauov, 2nd place — O. Shaternikov, 1st place — D. Zorin);
• Baking (3rd place — I. Borodulina, 2nd place — A. Markabay, 1st place — A. Amangossova).

Deputy of the Senate of the Parliament B. Aitimova, Deputy of the Majilis of the Parliament Zh. Nurmanbetova, Deputy Prime Minister E. Dossaev, Minister of Education and Science Y. Sagadiyev, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population M. Abylkassymova and others also took part in the awarding ceremony.

The winners of the republican championship will represent Kazakhstan at the international championship in 2019 in Kazan.

On the margins of the event, First Vice Minister for Investments and Development Roman Sklyar spoke about the importance of holding such competitions. He noted that in the conditions of the new industrial revolution, it is especially necessary to study not only one specialty, but also related professions, as well as skills to work with the latest technologies.

“Certainly, working professions in Kazakhstan are in demand more than ever. As the Head of State noted, citing as an example his own experience when he began his labor activity as a metallurgist and reached great heights, he became the First President and became the creator of a new state. He showed it on his example. The youth perceives this very positively and the imperative of time is such that it is necessary to master several specialties. It is not necessary now, as in past years, to say that one specialty is needed for the whole life. Of course, in some cases, this is justified, but young people now need to acquire new specialties and learn throughout their lives, comprehend new elements of their profession and possibly related. We see now that new specialties are needed in industry: digitalization is developing, and industrial enterprises, agricultural enterprises, and other transport and logistics complexes give new promises to new professions. There is room for young people to strive for and, of course, such a competition provides an incentive for those who have not decided on their future profession,” said Sklyar.

The organizers, participants and experts, in turn, told PrimeMinister.kz reporters about the level at which the competition was held, and noted the importance of such championships for improving the quality of training.

An expert, a teacher at the Karaganda Transport and Technology College Akbar Tashen noted that in the competence “Cars” the contestants compiled a change-speed gearbox. According to him, it is very difficult. However, the participants are prepared, fluent in modern technology.

“The holding of this championship is a very necessary and important matter, which must be continued. Teaching young people and improving their skills is a big deal. Over the four years of the championship in Kazakhstan, tremendous work has been done. We have achieved high results, but there is still something to work on, as they say, you need to hone your skills. It is necessary to learn from the experience of other countries in Asia and Europe,” said Tashen.

The technical delegate from Almaty, Kuatbek Abildinov, spoke about how the organizational part of the competition was built. He stressed that the Kazakhstan championship was held at the level of European standards.

“In this competition, we were engaged in technical organization: compliance with the procedure, the work of experts, work on the site. From our point of view, the championship was held at a very high level. If we take in comparison with the European Championship in Budapest, then our championship was held at about the same level. Requirements for the participants were made according to international standards. The program also corresponded to the European Championships and the World Championships held in Abu Dhabi. Part of the tasks was similar to the tasks of the CIS championship. In the practice of world championships, it rarely happened that the tasks on technical competencies were completely fulfilled. So they are complex. I was surprised when in our championship many participants completed their tasks fully. I think the psychological training of the participants that they were given in the regions played a big role here. Another moment that surprised me at the championship, the participants support each other, they do not see competitors or rivals in others. They communicate, share experience, suggest,” shared Abildinov.

The judge, technical delegate from the Turkestan region, Aidos Appazov, stressed that the level of vocational education in Kazakhstan is on the rise.

“The WorldSkills Kazakhstan project is designed to raise the image of vocational education in Kazakhstan. For the fourth year we observe how students from colleges from all over Kazakhstan manifest themselves at this site. This provides an opportunity to participate in future international competitions. I tried two competencies: mechatronics and electrical installation. There were a lot of participants in the ‘Wiring’ competence and it was a little difficult for us to judge. In addition, in the wiring there are a lot of small details and trifles, on which the operation of the device depends. But our guys managed. In the competence ‘Mechatronics,’ participants had to create a whole station, working through a computer device. It was very interesting. The level of vocational education is rising, the equipment is already up-to-date, the guys are prepared according to international standards,” said Appazov.

Nurzhan Syzdykov, an expert and teacher at the Kentau Polytechnic College in specialist disciplines, emphasized the importance of the support provided by the state for students in technical specialties. According to the teacher, young people feel it.

“It gives much responsibility when preparing students for such modules as wiring, electronics and robotics, because it is necessary to instill in students knowledge in accordance with the requirements of the world standard. We try to adhere to international standards. At present, the level of students rises significantly, and at the end of the training they become true masters of their craft. WorldSkills Kazakhstan is the highest level of testing their knowledge for students, and probably for us it is also an assessment, because when we teach, we learn together with them. We have a dual system of education, more than 60% of students do internships at factories and industrial enterprises, and accordingly, significantly improve their skills. Our students, starting from the 3rd course, already have jobs. Today we can say with confidence that the status of engineering specialties has risen much higher and most of the students prefer such professions, because the people feel demand, relevance, state support, and wages have become significantly higher,” said Syzdykov

Ilya Chuprynin, a silver medalist in the competence in “IT Solutions for Business,” told about how the championship was held and what tasks were given to the participants.

“As part of the competition, we made an airport, created a full automation of the airport, that is, we needed to receive users, orders, reports for the flight attendants and how much resources would be spent on each flight. We also made additional services and mobile application for booking flights. Projects can be applied, but they will need to be refined. We had six assignments for three hours. We worked at speed. We were 10 people working in a programming language. Now students can safely go to study in this profession because the government has changed the program. We have moved away from the old standards and are learning new subjects more deeply and efficiently. I like it very much,” Chuprynin informed.

Another participant in the competence “IT Solutions for Business,” a second year student at the Industrial Pedagogical College of Kostanay, Artem Kosarenko, indicated that the competition's tasks met the latest market needs, which made the championship even more useful in terms of staff training.

“Now I am getting a specialty in computer engineering and software. Our task at the competition was to fulfill the order of an imaginary customer, the customer was the company, the airline, we needed to automate the process of flight, departures, buying tickets. Technicians and programmers will always be in demand in the 21st century, in the century of new technologies,” Kosarenko supported his colleague.

Temirkhan Orynov, a winner in the specialty “Turning Works on Machine Tools,” spoke about the importance of training, including at such sites.

“I chose this specialty because it is very much in demand in our time. With these skills, you can find a job you like, moreover, I like that now everything is moving into an automated format, which makes work much easier. Such specialties are very necessary and I believe that it is right to support young people in the choice of working professions. In the future, this will have a positive effect on the development of the country,” Orynov shared his opinion.

A participant from Zhambyl region, Talgat Makhambetov, spoke about participation in the “Cargo Body Repair” competence and noted the prospects for the development of this working specialty in Kazakhstan.

“There are almost 30 types of professions and 350 participants. My profession is related to the automotive industry. We had seven participants from seven regions. Today there is no such a specialty, but it is vital and very necessary. The profession is called “Cargo Body Painting,” it began to get used only in recent years. Previously, nobody knew about such a profession, I would be very happy if this profession would have found a response from students, because there are practically no specialists on the market. You can say the market is free and open, especially since there are all the conditions to develop and even start a business,” said Makhambetov.

Aelita Amangossova, the gold medal winner in the Bakery, said that within the framework of the contest 14 people from different regions of Kazakhstan were preparing different dishes for 3 days, including bread products and more sophisticated dough preparation techniques.

The prize-winner, the winner of the gold medal on the competence "Design and Modeling of Clothes," Arai Muslim-bi also shared her impressions of the competition.

“I study at the Fashion and Design College in Almaty in the competence of 'Fashion Designer.' We were 14 participants and absolutely everyone was worthy of winning. During the competition it was necessary to sew a dress, but it had to be with technological and design difficulties. This profession in Kazakhstan is very necessary, our country needs to enter the international market, because for this there are all the necessary conditions. You just need to want very much and learn. It is not difficult at all,” Muslim-bi noted.

Another participant of the “Design and Modeling of Clothes” competence championship, Zhanayim Maksut, indicated that WorldSkills Kazakhstan opens up new opportunities for young people.

“I really like my profession, from childhood I loved to sew. In the first module, we drew sketches; in the second, we sewed dresses; in the third module, we did draperies. It is so great that Kazakhstani youth can receive such professions that are really necessary and in demand for free. I am very pleased to take part in this project. WorldSkills really opens up new opportunities for young people,” said Maksut.

One of the participants, Anuar Sarbassov, who arrived from Semey, noted that the championship allows to study world service standards and improve the quality of their own skills, which directly increases the chances of the labor market.

“At the moment, the restaurant service in Kazakhstan is developing and is already quite in demand... In the future I plan to open my own place. We had a lot of modules, the main ones are the waiter, barista and barman. I demonstrated all these skills. I took part in European service skills, WorldSkills standards, world standards. We are taught everything. I have been preparing for 2 years,” said Sarbassov.

It should be noted that the creation of a site with 30 different equipped sectors also took place thanks to the support of the existing business. Head of the Knauf Training Center Oleg Sotnikov said that the company has provided expert, technical support and since 2016 has been the official supplier of the WorldSkills Kazakhstan project. It also provides materials for the championship.

“The first stage was the introduction of a new specialty in dry construction. Active work is carried out with educational institutions. On the basis of educational institutions of Kazakhstan, the company has established resource centers — in Astana, Almaty, Kostanay. Work is also underway with all educational institutions that are willing to acquire new knowledge and technology. Our company has been actively participating in the championship from the very beginning, since 2015. In 2018, we see that the level of participants is much higher. Schools receive the necessary knowledge and competencies and can already perform more adequately. I hope that next year in Kazan we will be in the top three,” noted Sotnikov.

Director of the training unit of the German company FEST Group in Central Asia, Stanislav Kuskov, in turn, told what prospects open to the participants of the championship. The company has been actively cooperating with the association WorldSkills Kazakhstan on the competence of Mechatronic for the past three years.

“First of all, we work with industrial enterprises, such companies as KAZ Minerals, Kazzinc, Kazakhmys, in the field of automation. We understand that qualified specialists at enterprises need exactly international class and in this case, being a sponsor of competitions, we provide both equipment and the help of a leading expert with international certification. We are taking mechatronic workers to the staff, today we are looking at the professionals. But we are preparing these specialists for the industry. We are preparing children, first of all, a great potential of work in these companies opens up for them. Tomorrow they will come to the enterprises and these will be international experts,” said Kuskov.

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