Strengthening Kazakhstan's Skills in Petrochemistry and Chemistry

Co-funded by the European Union PEER REVIEW NOTE Strengthening Kazakhstan’s Skills in Petrochemistry and Chemistry through Occupational Standards ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT The OECD is a unique forum where governments work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Union takes part in the work of the OECD. www.oecd.org OECD EURASIA COMPETITIVENESS PROGRAMME The OECD Eurasia Competitiveness Programme, launched in 2008, helps accelerate economic reforms and improve the business climate to achieve sustainable economic growth and employment in two regions: Central Asia (Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), and Eastern Europe and South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine). The Programme contributes to the OECD outreach strategy implemented by the Global Relations Secretariat. www.oecd.org/globalrelations/eurasia.htm KAZAKHSTAN REGIONAL COMPETITIVENESS PROJECT The Kazakhstan Regional Competitiveness Project began in November 2011, with the financial assistance of the European Union and the Government of Kazakhstan. The project works with sub- national administrations and regional stakeholders to design and implement reforms to improve the business climate, strengthen small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) capacity, and attract foreign direct investment to Kazakhstan’s regions. This review was initiated with the Government of Kazakhstan in 2015 and was developed in close collaboration with policy makers and companies in the petrochemical and chemical sector. It was peer reviewed on 26 November 2015 at the OECD Eurasia Competitiveness Roundtable. The Roundtable is a policy network for sharing knowledge on the implementation of competitiveness reforms, and brings together high-level representatives and technical experts from Eurasian countries, OECD member countries and partner organisations. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................... 4 GLOSSARY .................................................................................................................................. 6 KEY INDICATORS: KAZAKHSTAN ........................................................................................ 8 INTRODUCTION: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPING THE PETROCHEMICAL AND CHEMICAL INDUSTRY IN KAZAKHSTAN ....................... 9 Context: Kazakhstan has potential for developing the petrochemical and chemical industry ... 9 Kazakhstan has three key challenges in developing its petrochemical and chemical industry .................................................................................................................................... 10 Overall recommendation: develop occupational standards in petrochemistry and chemistry to foster employer engagement and support the establishment of a well-functioning VET system .................................................................................................. 11 The development of occupational standards will need to overcome several obstacles ........... 13 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DEVELOPING OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS IN PETROCHEMISTRY AND CHEMISTRY IN KAZAKHSTAN ......................................... 16 Putting in place a domestic institutional structure to enable OS to support a well-functioning VET system ............................................................................................................................. 17 Integrating occupational standards into the VET system ........................................................ 19 Raising awareness of the value, process and application of occupational standards for a well-functioning VET system .................................................................................................. 22 IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES ........................................................................................ 24 ANNEX A: SUPPORTING ANALYSIS .................................................................................... 27 ANNEX B: METHODOLOGY AND PROJECT APPROACH ................................................ 44 ANNEX C: BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................... 46 ANNEX D: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................... 54 Figures Figure 1. Occupational standards are part of a comprehensive VET system ..................... 12 Figure 2. Overview of challenges and policy recommendations ........................................ 16 Figure 3. The link between occupational standards, curricula and assessment .................. 20 Figure 4. Suggested implementation timeline .................................................................... 26 Boxes Box 1. What are occupational standards? ................................................................................ 12 Box 2. Case study: vocational education and training for petrochemistry in Atyrau .............. 13 Box 3. France's system for monitoring qualifications ............................................................. 22 Box 4. Skills beyond School: Review of Kazakhstan.............................................................. 26 3 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS APEC Atyrau Petroleum Education Centre BiBB Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (Germany) bn Billion CEDEFOP European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training CEFIC The European Chemical Industry Council CEREQ Centre d'Études et de Recherches sur les Qualifications (France) CIS Commonwealth of Independent States EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development EIA United States Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration ETF European Training Foundation FDI Foreign Direct Investment GBP British pounds GDP Gross domestic product GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German Society for International Co-operation) IEA International Energy Agency ILO International Labour Organisation ISC International Systems and Communications Limited ISCED International Standard Classification of Education ISIC International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities KPI Kazakhstan Petrochemical Industries Inc. ktpa Kilo-tonnes per annum KZT Kazakh tenge (currency) LMI Labour market information m Million Mtoe Million tonnes of oil equivalent OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development OS Occupational standards PET Professional education and training SEZ Special Economic Zone SME Small and medium-sized enterprise SSC Sector Skills Council TAFE Australia Technical and Further Education Australia Tcf Trillion cubic feet TVET Technical and Vocational Education and Training 4 UCC United Chemical Company UNECE United Nations Economic Commission for Europe UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation UNESCO- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation International Centre UNEVOC for Technical and Vocational Education and Training USD US dollars VET Vocational education and training WPC World Petroleum Council 5 GLOSSARY Term Definition Accreditation of education providers A quality assurance procedure which monitors the quality of teaching and learning, and results in a decision as to whether a VET provider or vocational programme meets a threshold standard. Assessment of qualifications Testing of knowledge and performance of a student to award a certification of qualifications. Assessment standard “Assessment standards” may specify the object of assessment, performance criteria, assessment methods, and the composition of the jury entitled to award the qualification. Assessment standards answer the question “How will we know what the student has learned and is able to do in employment?”. Awarding bodies Organisations that award qualifications. Certification of qualifications Recognition that a student has achieved a certain level of knowledge and performance by conferring a qualification. Competence/competency The ability, encompassing knowledge, skills and attitudes of an individual to perform adequately in a job. Curriculum An organised programme of both theoretical and practical studies, the successful completion of which is considered necessary to achieve specified educational goals corresponding to different levels of knowledge and qualification. Education/training standard This standard may define the expected outcomes of the learning process, leading to the award of a qualification; the study programme in terms of content,

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