26/12/2025
On December 12, Nazarbayev University hosted a national roundtable focused on one key question:
How can universities and employers work better together to improve student and graduate employability? 🤝
The event brought together 48 employers, representatives of 24 universities across Kazakhstan, NU staff, and members of the Student Government - creating a rare space for open, practice-oriented dialogue.
The roundtable featured two main formats:
🔹 Plenary Session, where participants discussed the changing role of universities, industry demand for soft skills, dual education models, internships, and insights from a national study on career practices.
🔹 Working Groups, where mixed teams of employers and university representatives worked hands-on to identify gaps, share successful practices, and propose concrete solutions.
Across all discussions, one message was clear: employability requires systemic, long-term collaboration. Participants highlighted the need for earlier employer engagement, stronger career education, paid internships, mentoring, and the development of key skills such as communication, responsibility, critical thinking, and self-reflection.
Why does this matter? Because aligning education with labor market needs leads to more job-ready graduates, stronger partnerships, and a more sustainable talent pipeline for Kazakhstan’s future workforce.
