PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE WORLD OF WORK: WHAT CAN UNIVERSITIES AND BUSINESSES DO TO ENSURE THEIR STUDENTS ARE READY FOR THE WORKPLACE?
SEE INTO THE FUTURE ALMATY: SKILLS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND EMPLOYMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY CONFERENCE
27 May 2015, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Background
Employer surveys across the world point to perceived gaps in the skills of those leaving education and entering the workplace. Technical skills gaps can be part of the story but critically employers highlight gaps in skills and qualities such as resilience, self management, team working and communications.
Further, some futurist speakers estimate that by 2030 more than two billion jobs that exist today will be lost and new jobs that don’t exist today will replace them.
How can we help prepare young people for success in this uncertain future?
In Kazakhstan, as in other countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, securing a skilled workforce to lead future economic growth is an important priority for governments and education institutions.
As part of the SEE into the Future: Skills, Entrepreneurship and Employment in the 21st century initiative, the British Council and the Kazakh British Technical University (KBTU) organised a one-day conference that provided a unique opportunity for universities and businesses in Kazakhstan and the UK to come together to learn and discuss what more they can do to ensure that graduates have the skills that industry and business need.
Through presentations by senior business and university representatives, panel discussions and group discussions, this prestigious event shared the best that the UK and Kazakhstan has to offer in university and employer relations, curriculum design, teaching and learning and work place experience.
The SEE into the Future Almaty conference brought together about 80 business representatives, university leaders, faculty members, and university careers service staff from the UK and Kazakhstan.
What were the themes?
A team of experts led discussion, learning and reflection on the following questions:
- How can universities and industry better cooperate together?
- Developing entrepreneurial attitudes as a route to workplace readiness
- UK experience in university and industry cooperation
Audience
- Employers and business representatives
- HR professionals
- University leaders, deans of faculties and faculty staff, university careers services
Photos
You can see the photos from the SEE into the Future Almaty conference here.