Today during the meeting of the Government chaired by the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Bakytzhan Sagintayev, measures on training specialists for work in the digital economy have been discussed.

Minister of Education and Science Yerlan Sagadiyev reported that in the framework of increasing IT competence in secondary education, the elective course "Robototechnics" is being introduced in schools. In the 2016-2017 academic year, 372 robotics clubs were opened, as well as 397 robotics cabinets were equipped in 397 schools. 2500 teachers of computer science passed courses of improvement of professional skill on a robotics, features of the organizations of theoretical and out-of-class works on IT in the conditions of realization of robotics.

In the context of increasing IT competence in technical and vocational education, this year, in connection with the proposals of employers, a new specialty "Information Security" have been included. Enrolment for it will be carried out from September 1, 2018.

Currently, TVET organizations educate in the direction of "Informatics and Computer Science" within the two specialties: "Computer Science and Software (by Types)", which includes eight qualifications, and "Information Systems (by application areas)" – three qualifications.

Within the framework of the Program to Reduce Information Inequality, more than 9,700 teachers and masters of industrial training have been upgraded. With the sponsorship of Nurecom LTD, such foreign companies as Pasco, Boxford, Promethean, and LG have undergone professional development of 360 masters of industrial training and teachers of special disciplines and received an international certificate.

In all 16 regions, training centers for the use of interactive training equipment have been established, where more than 3,564 engineering and pedagogical workers were trained.

In the framework of international projects of the Rogaland (Norway), In Went (Germany), GTZ (Germany), 360 pedagogical workers passed advanced trainings at the leading foreign training centers.

Also teachers and masters of industrial training are provided with lessons of professional skill on-line. A database of online lessons was created, including the lessons of TVE Teachers on the portal (elp.kz).

In the field of improving IT competence in higher education, personnel training is conducted in the following specialties: “Informatics”, “Information Systems”, “Automation and Management”, “Computer Science and Software”, “Mathematical and Computer Modeling”, “Radio Engineering”, “Electronics and telecommunications” in 84 universities and “Information Security Systems” in seven universities.

In the framework of the Bolashak scholarship in the area of “​​Information Technology and Systems”, 951 people completed their education, or 10.1% of the total number of graduates, including under programs: bachelor's degree – 510, specialist’s degree – 20, master’s degree – 386, doctorate – 6, and an internship – 29. Currently, 59 people in the area of “​​Information Technology and Systems” are trained in Master's programs in the USA, Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Singapore, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan and Russia.

Since 2016, the discipline "Information and communication technologies in English" has been included in the compulsory component of the cycle of general educational disciplines in the bachelor's standard. In this connection, a basic textbook on this discipline has been developed. Three hundred university teachers in computer science passed intensive language courses.

Educational programs of universities are developed by universities independently within the framework of existing standards. At the same time, foreign partner universities and employers are involved in the development of educational programs. In 2015 and 2016, 11 basic participant universities of the SPIID developed 48 innovative educational programs.

Since the beginning of the 2017-2018 academic year, all universities have updated their educational programs, taking into account the approved 10 professional standards in the field of IT.

Also, the training is distributed online. Thus, 8 universities created a consortium on the basis of KazNU after al-Farabi to promote MOOC (mass open online courses). In the current year, four more universities joined this consortium.