BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Kazakhstan’s
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has instructed the government to
overhaul the existing vocational training system in line with
digitalization, artificial intelligence development and rapid
technological modernization, the government press service said.


The issue of new approaches to training specialists in working
professions was discussed at a government meeting chaired by
Bektenov.


“In the new Constitution, one of the fundamental principles is
the promotion of the values of hard work, progress and knowledge.
In this regard, the Head of State has set the Government the task
of forming a new educational model that takes into account
digitalization, the development of artificial intelligence and
rapid technological modernization,” Bektenov said.


He noted that Kazakhstan currently has 763 colleges with 556,000
students. Some 138,000 students at 552 colleges are covered by dual
education programs with the participation of more than 11,600
enterprises. In 2026, more than 3,000 educational programs across
160 specialties were updated.







According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the
Population, Kazakhstan’s economy will require 2.9 million workers
by 2035, including 1.8 million specialists in working professions.
The highest demand is expected in industry, construction,
agriculture, transport and logistics, energy, trade and
services.


Bektenov emphasized that the quality of specialist training
directly affects the sustainability of the economy, adding that the
education system should quickly adapt to changes in production.


“The Head of State always emphasizes that every sector of the
economy needs specialists of a new type who are capable of
increasing labor productivity through the use of modern
technologies. Working professions require particular attention.
Under modern conditions, a specialist at any production facility
must be able to professionally work with digital control systems
and apply new artificial intelligence technologies and tools to
solve practical tasks. It is precisely for these purposes that the
existing personnel training system needs to be rebuilt,” Bektenov
said.