How to train personnel? President said - “like Germans do it” (+update)

By Zulfiya Bainekeeva

Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Gulshara Abdykalikova and Minister of Education and Science Aslan Sarinzhipov.

On October 20, Gulshara Abdykalikova, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, and Aslan Sarinzhipov, Minister of Education, visited Atyrau with working visit. They discussed the issues of vocational training modernization with the heads of state agencies and major oil and gas companies.

THE MOST EXPERIENCED GETS THE OFFER

The working session took place at the APEC Petrotechnic Training Centre. The main issue on the agenda was the introduction of dual training system.

Nurlan Balgimbayev, CEO of KMG Management for Facilities Under Construction LLP, suggested to create the board of trustees with participation of state agencies and oil and gas companies on the basis of APEC Training Center. His offer was accepted. G. Abdykalikova suggested Balgimbayev to head this council, since he is the “most experienced oil industry worker”. Balgimbayev objected:

- “Let's get the council together and then they will elect”.

Minister Sarinzhipov provided arguments in favor of dual training system that is used abroad, particularly, in Germany. The dual system combines theoretical training in educational institutions and on-the job training at the companies. President Nazarbayev’s statement during his visit to Germany in February of 2012 about intention of the Kazakhstan party to use the German model of dual system for training of professionals  was the basis for introduction of dual training in Kazakhstan. In April of last year the Agreement on implementation of the pilot project “Introduction of Dual Training in Kazakhstan” was signed.

- This system is successfully used in many developed countries where they used the model of 2+2: two years of theory and two years of on-the job practice at the enterprises. In Germany 70% of training is financed by the private sector and only 30% by the state. In our country it is quite the reverse. In Germany if the company doesn't invest into education, it pays it in the form of taxes, - said Sarinzhipov.

Both the Minister, and reps of the oil and gas companies noted the imperfection of the legislation and a lack of mechanisms for sufficient investment into education from large subsoil users.

IT'S A WASTED EFFORT

Zhan Nourbekov, Contract Agency branch director, provided interesting figures referring to data of the Energy Ministry:

- Every year the oil industry attracts about 15 thousand people from overseas. They all can’t be top managers. Among them there are specialists of the 2nd, 3rd and even the 4th categories. Big projects are upcoming and both TCO and KPO companies are planning to attract about 30 thousand people. For Kazakhstan this is a lot.

- How to man oil and gas sector with qualified personnel?

- We have obligations from subsoil users to allocate for personnel training 1% of their expenses. There are two issues: inefficient application and incomplete application of those funds.

Since 2011 the financing for the amount of 4,5 billion tenge for training of 5 800 Kazakhstan citizens with subsequent employment of the majority was coordinated with 340 enterprises. But here we also face an issue of formal attitude. The leaders in using those funds are Shymkent innovative and Aktobe polytechnical colleges that received from “Sauts Oil” and CNPCAMG 508 and 425 million tenge respectively.

Annually about 100 million dollars are spent for training, and this figure is growing. The scheme is as follows: subsoil users at the request of local government administrations transfer the money to local colleges. And colleges spend them on improvement of the training level of their students.

At least, we haven’t heard any positive comments about the graduates of Aktobe and Shymkent colleges yet. Oil and gas companies don't fulfill their obligations for personnel training for the total amount of 5 million dollars a year. The ministry is working with the debtors. We have already won three cases in courts, including the trial in the Supreme Court about compulsion of subsoil users to fulfill their training obligations. By the way, the company “CNPC Aidan Munai” is going to transfer their debt of 160 million tenge to this college - APEC Petrotechnic.

The results of the working trip were summed up at the Atyrau institute of oil and gas. G. Abdykalikova set the task to develop unified approaches to manning of Tengiz, Karachaganak expansion projects, as well as Kashagan when it comes back to operation. and three oil and gas processing plants in the country.

- Groups for tripartite negotiations from oil-extracting and oil refining companies, local governments and the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Social Development will be formed for this purpose, - she said.

The Ministry of Education at the request of Abdykalikova will develop a full information package about dual system of vocational training required for stage-by-stage introduction into legislative acts.

Photos by Kanat Eleuov