Paper long abstract:

How can the higher education system of Kazakhstan be improved so that graduates are in demand in the labor market and are prepared for the challenges of a changing world?

This paper provides an analysis of the Quality Assurance(QA) systems of five European universities (University de Liege, Royal Institute of Technology KTH, University de Lorrain, Plovdiv University and Craiova University), visited in the framework of international project experts training on QA in higher education; national quality assurance system analysis; and survey of internal QA system in Kazakh Ablai Khan University and KazUEFIT. It identifies the possibilities and appropriateness to apply EU best practices to Kazakhstan. The paper argues that effective internal quality assurance standards would contribute to the enhancing quality culture, quality of education and will result in an increase of job opportunities for graduates in the Kazakhstani HEIs. The main aspects of this research deal with the interrelation between quality of education and employability of graduates, interconnection between gender discrimination and restricted employment opportunities of women. The paper argues that the quality of higher education and training of highly qualified and employable specialists are the important prerequisites of sustainable social and economic development of society. Nowadays higher education institutions must provide high quality, student centered learning and permanent adaptation of study programs and teaching methods to diverse expectations of labor market. Employers manage the labor market. It is necessary to strengthen University-Business-Government networks and involve employers in the design and evaluation of study programs. The paper includes survey of 1,342 Kazakh Ablai Khan University graduates of 2017 in terms of employability: 1) whether the University trains employable graduates; 2) examines whether gender discrimination affects the employment opportunities of graduates; 3) analyzes how university-business partnerships could add to quality learning.