The Government session chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov considered the Action Plan within the framework of the Year of Vocational Occupations, initiated by the Head of State. The Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan Svetlana Zhakupova reported on the measures taken,
primeminister.kz reports.
In particular, she said that working professions remain the basis of the Kazakh labour market. More than half of all working Kazakhstanis have vocational or technical education. 2.3 million people are employed in more than 2 thousand working professions. The high demand for such specialists is due to the large number of vacancies, which last year totalled more than 270,000. Workers are most in demand in the transport, trade, industry and agriculture sectors.
At the same time, the forecasts developed on the basis of actuarial models show that in the coming years the demand for workers will only increase. The total demand for personnel in the next 6 years is estimated at 1.6 million people, of which more than half will be workers with vocational education, and about 400 thousand of them will be in The Year of Vocational Professions.
The Ministry has developed the Innovative Project Navigator in order to plan personnel training, including working professions, more effectively. The platform makes it possible to forecast human resources needs and synchronise labour market demands with the training of specialists in TVET organisations. Today, the platform covers 755 investment projects with the creation of 150,000 jobs. Analysis has shown a serious gap between the labour market needs in various regions and the actual output of college students (TVET).
In addition, integration with the information systems of the Ministry of Finance has been completed and, once the data from them are received, it will be possible to synchronise training with projects implemented at the expense of the State budget.
To ensure the quality of training, the Ministry of Labour has updated 1,600 professional standards for working professions. On their basis, 87 per cent of educational programmes have been updated.
An electronic Skills Bank has been created, including more than 12,000 skills using the European standard (ESCO).
Another 100 professional standards are planned to be developed and updated this year.
Assessment of qualifications recognition has been launched on the basis of 4 independent Centres. This year we plan to open 5 more such centres, including 2 centres based on international standards.
In addition, the Enbek platform facilitates the active development of skills, including in working professions. For choosing a professional career and managing one's career trajectory, the Mansap Compasses project is being implemented, which contains detailed analyses of professions, salaries, educational requirements, ratings of educational institutions and much more.
Vocational training at the request of employers and on-the-job training are being actively developed. About 12,000 people will undergo such courses this year.
To provide students with practical skills, the Ministry has launched an internship function on the Electronic Labour Exchange. Today 643 courses are available on the online training platform and 410 thousand people have been trained.
The Ministry also plans to implement practical courses using VR and AR technologies in working professions and for industrial practice. The pilot project will be implemented in career centres in the cities of Konaev, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Turkestan, Astana and Shymkent.
The Year of Vocational Professions Action Plan provides for the development of a mentoring institute, holding job fairs and training schoolchildren and TIPO students in job search and employment skills.
The following measures will be implemented jointly with social partners to strengthen the protection of workers' rights:
- Improvement of mechanisms for preventing occupational injuries through digital monitoring in the field of occupational safety and health, introduction of integral assessment of occupational risks with assignment of a risk class to enterprises, as well as strengthening requirements for training and knowledge testing, and administrative liability for violations of occupational safety and health.
- To ensure the transparency and legality of labour relations, it is planned to introduce mechanisms for the declaration of labour relations, providing for the posting of staffing tables by employers and the conversion of procedures for concluding labour and collective agreements into an electronic format.
- In the framework of cooperation with the International Labour Organization, a joint action plan will be implemented to promote the principles of decent work, which includes recommendations for improving legislation.
Last year, a methodology for setting the minimum wage was approved, taking into account international standards. The ratification of the ILO Convention on the Establishment of Minimum Wages with Special Reference to Developing Countries is planned for this year.
One of the most important projects in the field of working professions is the Digital Enterprise Map. It makes it possible to identify risks in enterprises in real time in advance and to implement preventive measures.
The model uses data on more than 60 indicators, including financial, social and labour indicators.
Combining the Digital Enterprise Map with the Digital Family Map opens up new possibilities. Employers can automatically identify risks, taking into account the social well-being of employees. For businesses, the Digital Enterprise Card will become a tool for implementing the principles of social responsibility.
An integrated approach to the implementation of The Year of Vocational Professions, combining digital technologies, professional skills development and social support, will allow us not only to raise the prestige of working professions, but also to ensure sustainable growth in the welfare of citizens," Svetlana Zhakupova told.
