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 2 billion jobs that exist today will be lost and new jobs that don’t exist today will replace them (see e.g. http://www.futuristspeaker.com/2014/03/162-future-jobs-preparing-for-jobs-that-dont-yet-exist).

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 a major agenda.

As part of its SEE into the Future: skills, entrepreneurship and employment in the 21st century initiative, the British Council and the Kazakh-British Technical University (KBTU) are organising 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 will share the best that the UK and Kazakhstan has to offer in university and employer relations, curriculum design, teaching and learning and work place experience.

Objectives

1. Share good practice in university and business relations to improve students’ preparedness for success in the work place

2. Discuss challenges faced in developing this co-operation and how these can be overcome

3. Agree next steps for more effective collaboration between education and business

Audience

· Business representatives from UK, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan

· University leaders, deans of faculties and faculty staff, university careers services

If you would like to participate in the conference, please, pass the online registration on the following link http://www.britishcouncil.kz/programmes/education/see-almaty.

For any questions, please, call or write to Zhanar Zhaxylykova: +77017279949, Zhanar.zhaxylykova@kz.britishcouncil.org