Roundtable on Training Experts in the Accreditation of Continuing and Informal Education (Continuing Professional Development) as part of the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Prospects for the Development of Nursing Education and Practice”, April 4, 2025

On April 4, 2025, the Eurasian Centre for Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education and Health Care (ECAQA) held a training seminar titled “Issues in the Accreditation of Continuing and Informal Education”.

The aim of the seminar was to define and clarify the role of experts in the accreditation of continuing and informal education, including representatives from the academic community of higher medical colleges, students, and practicing healthcare professionals.

During the seminar, participants discussed the goals and objectives of institutional accreditation, the main processes of educational assessment, and the methods used by experts to gather evidence of compliance with the institutional accreditation standards developed by ECAQA based on the International Standards for Improving the Quality of Continuing Professional Development of Health Professionals by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME).

The seminar, focused on the training and capacity building of accreditation experts, brought together leaders and staff from 19 higher medical colleges of Kazakhstan, representatives of the Union of Medical Colleges of Kazakhstan, practicing healthcare professionals, and students.

All participants were awarded certificates.

This event was held within the framework of implementing the activities outlined in ECAQA Strategic Development Plan for 2023–2025, specifically aimed at strengthening the competencies of experts in the accreditation of medical, pharmaceutical, and nursing education.

As part of the Year of Professional Development for Healthcare Specialists, an International Scientific and Practical Conference titled “Prospects for the Development of Nursing Education and Practice” was held on April 4–5, 2025. The event was organized by the Higher Medical College of the Almaty City Health Department and the National Hospital of the Medical Center of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The Eurasian Centre for Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education and Health Care (ECAQA) acted as a partner of the conference. Director General of ECAQA, Sarsenbayeva S.S., delivered a presentation titled “Recognition of Continuing Education for Healthcare Professionals through the Institutional Accreditation Process: Principles and Approaches”.

Within the framework of the international event, the Eurasian Centre for Accreditation held a roundtable discussion on the topic “Accreditation of Continuing and Informal Education: Current Issues”, which was attended by staff from higher medical colleges and medical organisations of Kazakhstan, including practicing healthcare professionals. The aim of the roundtable was to enhance the qualifications of experts in the accreditation of continuing and informal education, including representatives from the practical healthcare sector.

ECAQA participated in the extended meeting of the Collegium of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan titled “Workforce Development as the Foundation of a Competitive Economy and Sustainable Development: Innovations, Technologies, and Industry Collaboration”, which took place on February 7, 2025, at Nazarbayev University.

During the meeting, Minister Sayasat Nurbek delivered a speech highlighting the achievements and future prospects of higher education, the success of universities in national and international rankings, an analysis of the demand for new personnel from businesses and manufacturing enterprises, and advancements in digitalization. Yeshenkulov T.I., Vice Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, spoke about effective interaction in the field of training in-demand personnel. Zhankuatov G.Zh., Chair of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, presented a report on the implementation of the Law on Science and Technology Policy.

Issues related to the digital transformation of higher education and science were addressed by Shcheglova D.R., Vice Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan. A key topic of the meeting was the State Language Policy, which was covered in the report by Tleshov E.E., Chair of the Language Policy Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The programme of the Collegium also included presentations from rectors of Kazakhstan’s universities, as well as representatives from industry, manufacturing, and business sectors.

For the Eurasian Centre for Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education and Health Care, it was important to receive objective and reliable information on the employability of graduates from educational organisations, approaches to analyzing the quality of practical training for specialists, the use of innovative developments in education, access to global educational platforms, the socialization of youth, models for advanced workforce training in the context of the internationalization of education, trends in the growth of international students, the export of educational services, and other current issues of higher and postgraduate education.

​The Director General of ECAQA, Saule Sarsenbayeva, participated in the Forum of the Committee for Quality Assurance in Science and Higher Education of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan titled «Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Current State and Development Prospects», held on January 17, 2025, in Astana at Astana IT University.

​The key topics of the Forum included state control issues, the dynamics of Kazakhstani universities in the QS ranking—areas for improvement, accreditation and control, new approaches, accreditation and control, and «E-licensing».

​The plenary session, attended by the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, S. Nurbek, covered discussions on the current state and development trends in quality assurance in higher education and science, international aspects and trends in external quality assurance, strategies for improving the effectiveness of scientific personnel training, the role of the Association of Scientists in the development of scientific journals, and the «Unified Higher Education Platform» information system as a centralized database for data collection, processing, and analysis.

​The information obtained is relevant and important for application in institutional and specialized accreditation procedures for educational organisations.