On February 4-5, 2020, on the basis of KEEU, the kick off meeting of the Erasmus + project “Dual education for industrial automation and robotics in Kazakhstan / DIARKAZ” was held. On February 6, 2020 Tasbulatova S., Director of the National Office Erasmus + in Kazakhstan, conducted preventive monitoring of the project.
The dual system is a special form of training skilled workers on the basis of close interaction between enterprises and educational institutions. The basis of training in the dual education system is the combination of theoretical training on the basis of professional educational organizations and the acquisition of practical skills directly at the enterprise.
The entire project consortium took part in the work: representatives of the University of Novi Sad (Serbia, project grant holder), FH Joanneum Gesellschaft M.B.H. (Austria), Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (Germany), Kostanay Engineering and Economics named after M. Dulatov (country project coordinator), Innovative University of Eurasia, West Kazakhstan Agrarian and Technical University named after Zhangir Khan, SaryarkaAvtoProm LLP, Festo AG & CO Group of Companies and National Office Erasmus + in Kazakhstan.
The goal of this project is to fill the existing gap in this area, through cooperation with companies and other interested parties, to develop a sustainable dual-training program with international orientation in Kazakhstan (the program will be based on cooperation with institutions from countries where the programs are implemented) and become a leader in industrial automation and robotics in the Central Asian region.
The project will provide the basis for the modernization of the human and infrastructural potential necessary to achieve these goals through the training of teachers, the purchase of educational equipment and software, cooperation between universities, as well as cooperation with non-academic and associate partners and the transfer of knowledge and experience. Sustainability of project results will ensure continued impact at national and regional levels.
Based on the results of past events, the stages and terms of the project, the area of responsibility of each partner, and the expected results are clearly defined. The consortium has actively started implementing the DIARKAZ project.
It is gratifying that information about the project and the results of its activities are increasingly being disseminated in the global academic community.
This was an opportunity for members of the project team, professors PhD Eleonora Desnica and PhD Milan Nikolic, to present and promote the project Dual Education for Industrial Automatization and Robotics in Kazakhstan (DIARKAZ) to the participants of the conference, through the online platform.
They presented the project, project partners, main project goals and main project activities.
The speakers were foreign experts – Professor Hagen H. Hochrinner FH JOANNEUM (Austria), Ursula K. Göz DHBW Heilbronn (Germany), Professor Natasha Papic-Blagojevic (School of Business of the University of Novi Sad, Serbia), Dr. Olga Shmurygina (Russian State Vocational Pedagogical University), as well as kazakhstani speakers Talgat Ikombaev (InEU) and Professor Oleg Moiseenko (KEnEU named after M. Dulatov, Kostanay).
The project manager from InEU, senior lecturer of the Industrial Engineering and Design Department Talgat Ikombaev and the project participant, senior lecturer Narken Algazinov acted as moderators of the meeting.
The seminar discussed topics on the implementation of the new educational program “Robotic Systems” in the educational process, the proposed competencies and adapted methods of dual training, technologies for training specialists in the conditions of dual training.
The KEnEU team has developed promotional materials such as brochures, roll-ups, a catalog of educational disciplines, and during the current academic year held vocational guidance meetings with graduates of schools and colleges of the Kostanay region.
Also on June 7, KEnEU project manager Oleg Moiseenko and KEnEU project coordinator Zhanat Jabassova spoke about the unique project, the relevance of the new educational program and the skills that a graduate of the EP “Robotic Systems” will acquire in the prime time of the Qostanay TV channel.
We were invited to participate marking the kick-off of our networking and co-operation with the partners from KAZDUAL, initiated by the DHBW (Cooperative State University of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Heilbronn) and Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, both from Germany.
Mirko Savic (University Novi Sad, Serbia) took the chance to present our Erasmus+ DIARKAZ project and Ursula Göz (DHBW Heilbronn, Germany) added a greeting address emphasising the synergetic effects of exchange and collaboration.
On the first day, the presentations and discussions were interpreted, enabling Western Europeans to get many impressions about the current state of reforms in secondary and tertiary education in Kazakhstan. The second day was dedicated to show the state of the art of ‘Competence-focused Education’ in cooperation with the corporate sector. All together, it seems to be important to foster the strengths of the Kazakh education system in it’s transition towards the European education framework. It became apparent that Life Long learning is a worldwide challenge which can be met by establishing Dual Education concepts.
The participating DIARKAZ partners could take away information on various practise examples related to our goals in the field of Dual Study courses. Certainly, this will promote the progress of both Erasmus+ projects. 
On April 14, an innovative educational program “Automation and Robotics” was presented. M. S. Bokayeva, Master of Natural Sciences, members of the DIARKAZ project was the speaker on this broadcast. In real time, Munira Bokayeva spoke in detail about the features and priorities of dual training, about the prospects of this profession and answered questions from the listeners of the Instagram-live.
During the week, the project manager of the KEnEU Oleg Viktorovich Moiseenko, together with the Career Center and the Marketing and Communications Department, visited secondary schools №8 and №29 and presented the educational program to school graduates.
On March 12, 2021, a meeting with the Board of Trustees was held at KEnEU, the members of which are «Ural LTD» LLP, «Ascom & K» LLP, «Baltik Control KZ» LLP, «AgromashHolding» JSC, «SaryarkaAvtoProm» LLP, «Transtelecom branch Kostanaytranstelecom» JSC, «NC «Kazakhstan Temir Zholy» of the Kostanay branch of the backbone network» JSC, «EvrazKaspianStal» LLP, «Agricultural Experimental Station Zarechnoye» LLP, «Astyk» Elevator Equipment Factory» LLP, «Azimut» LLP, GSE «Kostanay Heat Power Company», «Kostanay Melkombinat» JSC, State Institution «Department of entrepreneurship and industrial and innovative development of akimat of Kostanay region», State institution «Department of culture of akimat of Kostanay region», State institution «Department of entrepreneurship and agriculture», State institution «Department of economy and budget planning of akimat of Kostanay region».
The project coordinator Zhanat Galimzhanovna Dzhabasova presented to the trustees a dual educational program and the possibilities of cooperation with companies within the framework of its implementation. The meeting participants noted the relevance of the DIARKAZ project and expressed their deep interest in cooperation in the field of dual education.
Also on March 13, Zhanat Galimzhanovna presented the IAR to the graduates of the Gymnasium named after M. Gorky in an online format.
Professor H. Hohrinner carried out an examination of educational programs for dual education in the IAR of Kazakhstani universities, but the schedule of the educational process is still being discussed in detail with partner enterprises.
Representatives of DIARKAZ project were invited to attend the second day of the Cluster meeting (morning of 20/11/2020). Following a presentation on the EU funded regional cooperation in education; the participants discussed the challenges in project management during the COVID-19 pandemic confinement period in a plenary session. It was a good opportunity to get an overview and take stock of the different coping strategies and management practices under the new circumstances.
The onine-seminar was also attended by the team of the DUALSCI project, which aims to integrate academic education and business in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Such cooperation with universities implementing similar projects and expert support of professionals in the field of dual education creates a valuable synergy effect.
The graduates had a unique chance to get acquainted with the new specialty Automation and Robotics within the framework of the DIARKAZ project, the perspectives and opportunities of dual education in this educational program. In addition, INEU speakers spoke about the ERASMUS+ program itself.
For three days the exhibition was visited by a large number of graduates from all areas of the Pavlodar region.
During the meeting, students were also informed about the necessary competencies to be possessed by automation and robotics graduates and the prospects for the future. It was emphasized that for a graduate who plans to develop his career, especially in automation and robotics, it is important to think about practical skills in his field. For this purpose, the university organizes partnership programs for dual education with the University.
This will allow students to gain relevant experience and insight into real-world working conditions. It should be noted that the educational program «Mechatronics» was opened at the University last year and immediately began to attract applicants. By the way, the students of 2019 recruitment will be the first graduates of specialists in this field in 2023 and they are already waiting for them at the enterprises of the region, where the automated production system is implemented, such as LLP «Glass Service» and LLP «Ural Transformer Plant». For reference: for admission to the educational program «Mechatronics» you need knowledge in mathematics, physics, computer science. In addition, skills are required to work with the main programming languages. For college graduates, the university provides an accelerated course of study.
In addition to the partner organizations of the project, representatives of other enterprises of Kazakhstan took part in the meeting: Director of Kostanayenergo LLP M. Mukuzhanov, HR manager K. Ilgundinova and Head of Sales Department I. Birzhanova “Transtelecom” JSC in the city of Kostanay – “Kostanaytranstelecom”, Chief engineer of “Kelet” JSC V. Mishchenko, Technical director A. Shankin and Sales manager R. Ussenov TKR holding company, Head of educational programs and mentoring of MOST business incubator D. Babich, Director of development of BI practice at iQSolutions, Founder of Data Science Academy M. Dolayev, General director of KazTechInnovations company T. Balbayev, Automation engineer of “Kostanay Minerals” JSC E. Kryssenko, Commercial Director of “Advanced Business Technologies” LLP Ye. Meirambayev.
During the meeting were discussed following questions: the skills and competencies necessary for graduates of the Industrial Automatization and Robotics educational program, the content of the educational program, the possibility and conditions for employers to participate in the dual educational program, the methodology of organizing dual training (the “university-enterprise” study scheme).
A lot of work to develop mechanisms for interaction between enterprises and universities is to be done in Kazakhstan. The past meeting with employers is contribution to the development and strengthening of such cooperation.
On the same day, from 15.00 to 17.00, a meeting of the working group with specialists of the LLP UPNK-PV, a domestic plant for the production of calcined petroleum coke, was held.
The possibilities of implementing dual training at the enterprise, the content of disciplines were discussed, recommendations on the organization of training and on the acquisition of educational equipment were proposed.
The meeting was attended by the chief engineer, chief technologist, chief mechanic, head of the instrumentation department.
