Abstract
The contemporary world requires all countries to be responsive to changing economic trends in order to thrive and be competitive. Kazakhstan is aiming to become one of the 30 most developed countries by the year 2050. It has been widely acknowledged by government officials and international experts that the only way Kazakhstan can achieve this goal is through the development of human capital and a transition to a knowledge-based economy (Aitzhanova et al. Kazakhstan 2050: toward a modern society for all. Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2014). According to the Global Competitiveness Report 2014–2015, Kazakhstan has maintained its 50th place among other 144 countries for the last two years (Schwab, The global competitiveness report 2014–2015: full data edition. World Economic Forum, Geneva, 2014). While this is a good sign of stability, Kazakhstan is still far from reaching the top 30 places. As one of the evaluated criteria or “pillars,” higher education and training can play a critical role in improving the position of Kazakhstan in competition with other countries. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.