On Thursday, April 9, Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Satybaldy Dauletalin, is on a working visit to the Turkestan region.
The first sites visited were the Turkestan Industrial and Technical College named after Yerkanat Tanirbergenov and its partner — the bus fleet of LLP “Zholausy”.
The Turkestan Industrial and Technical College named after Yerkanat Tanirbergenov is one of the leading educational institutions in the region, training specialists for the transport, IT, and logistics sectors.
Today, the college employs 68 staff members, including 54 teachers, among whom are candidates of sciences, PhDs, professors, associate professors, and master’s degree holders. Currently, 1,054 students are enrolled at the college.
The college director, Meruert Kulbayeva, spoke about the key areas of the educational process based on the dual education system.
“We provide training in five areas — software development (IT), maintenance and repair of motor vehicles, computing technology and information networks, transportation organization and traffic management in railway and road transport. Our students actively participate in WorldSkills professional skills competitions at both regional and national levels. In 2025, Sanzhar Mansurov took second place in the ‘Video Editing’ competency, and Dauletbek Iskanderov received a Medallion for Excellence in 3D game modeling,” she said.
According to her, students’ achievements are the result not only of their personal efforts but also of close cooperation between the college and enterprises.
“We actively invite practicing specialists — railway workers and automotive mechanics in the passenger transport sector — to conduct master classes and round tables. This year, a regional event ‘Auto Mechanic — Master of the Modern College’ was held, where students were able to ask questions in practice and familiarize themselves with the specifics of their future profession,” the director added.
She also emphasized the issue of practical employment for graduates.
“This academic year, we signed new agreements on joint training of specialists with employers, which allows us to adapt educational programs to labor market requirements and guarantees employment for graduates,” added Meruert Kulbayeva.
Speaking about the role of the trade union and social support issues, she noted that a trade union operates at the college, chaired by Beibit Nalibek.
“All teachers are trade union members. The union actively supports the staff: awarding employees with certificates of honor and letters of appreciation, as well as encouraging students with high performance and active participation. Students and their supervisors are given opportunities for health improvement funded by the trade union. This year, two of our teachers отдыхали in the Saryagash sanatorium,” she emphasized.
In turn, the founder of the college, Rakhym Tanirbergenov, thanked Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions Satybaldy Dauletalin for his attention to the development of working professions and education, highlighting the important role of trade unions in raising the status of skilled labor.
“I am deeply grateful to Chairman Satybaldy Dauletalin for his consistent and sincere attention to the development of working professions, support for colleges, and vocational education as a whole. Your attention and direct dialogue with teachers and students show that the working person and quality education are top priorities for trade unions. The role of trade unions in the education sector cannot be overestimated. We see that thanks to your work, teachers feel more confident, and students acquire real skills in demand in the labor market,” he noted.
After familiarizing himself with the educational process and technical equipment of the classrooms, Chairman Satybaldy Dauletalin met with teachers and students, emphasizing the importance of training qualified personnel for the country’s economic development.
“Today the world is changing rapidly. Therefore, the main question, especially for young people, is not what profession you choose, but whether you will be able to adapt to the requirements of the modern world and remain in demand. I have great respect for institutions like industrial colleges. Why? Because it is here that specialists are trained who directly influence the development of the economy and the country as a whole,” he emphasized.
He linked the need for specialist training with practical skills and continuous professional development.
“Today, a diploma alone is no longer enough. It is important not just to have a document, but to possess real skills. You need to think quickly, take responsibility, work in a team. And most importantly — never stop learning. Development should not be limited to the walls of the college; it is necessary to constantly improve, upgrade qualifications, and move forward,” he said, addressing the youth.
Satybaldy Dauletalin placed special emphasis on the challenges of digitalization.
“We face serious modern challenges — the development of artificial intelligence, automation, digitalization. All of this is already actively influencing our lives and professional environment. Even today, you can see that part of the work is already being performed by technology. You have just demonstrated an example with a robot, and this process will only intensify and develop even faster. However, this does not mean that work will disappear or that all professions will become unnecessary. First of all, changes will affect weaker specialists — those who have not mastered their profession at the proper level, have not acquired the necessary skills, and cannot withstand competition. Only strong and competent professionals will remain. And to be among them, you must constantly learn,” said the Chairman.
Regarding legal awareness and protection of workers’ rights, Satybaldy Dauletalin emphasized the relevance of fair wages, occupational safety, and respect for labor, highlighting the importance of the new Constitution.
“It is especially important to convey to young people that having rights in itself guarantees nothing. You need to know your rights, understand how to protect them, and be able to use the appropriate mechanisms. With the adoption of the new Constitution, the role of the individual as the highest value has been strengthened. This means that the working person will not be in a secondary position; on the contrary, they occupy a key place in society,” he added.
The dialogue on professional qualifications continued during a meeting with the staff of the bus fleet company “Zholausy,” which provides passenger transportation in the regional center.
LLP “Zholausy” was founded in 1966 as the Turkestan taxi fleet and in 1999 was reorganized into a limited liability partnership.
According to the company director, Rakhimzhan Yerkinov, buses are equipped with modern video cameras and individual air conditioning systems to ensure comfort and high service quality, as well as electronic ticketing devices.
“To ensure accessible and convenient public transport across all districts of the city, the enterprise operates 16 routes. Today, the company has 100% renewed the city’s public transport fleet. Over the past two years, investments totaling 2 billion 382 million 450 thousand tenge have been attracted into the development of the city’s economy and social sphere,” he said.
Currently, about 300 employees work at the bus fleet, all of whom have stable employment and are members of the trade union.
In his meeting with the workforce, Chairman Satybaldy Dauletalin emphasized the importance of developing social partnership within the enterprise, as well as ensuring safe working conditions and compliance with social guarantees.
“The Federation of Trade Unions pays special attention to workers’ social guarantees. The main document at every enterprise is the collective agreement, which establishes binding guarantees for employees. Our goal is for every worker to feel protected and confident about the future. Addressing the management, I would like to note that the development of social partnership is not a formality but a strategic resource for business sustainability. And to you, dear workers: your active position and participation in trade union activities are the key to real change,” he emphasized.
In this regard, according to the FTURK Chairman, key tasks for social partners in the near future should include increasing workers’ incomes, further improving working conditions and safety, expanding social guarantees and support, and strengthening the role of collective agreements.
For their contribution to the development of the trade union movement, social partnership, and conscientious work, teachers of the Turkestan Industrial and Technical College named after Yerkanat Tanirbergenov and employees of LLP “Zholausy” were awarded trade union honors by the Chairman of the FTURK.
Center for Trade Union Communications of the FTURK