TACIS "Vocational Education and Training linked to the development of SMEs in Kazakhstan" (2004)

Type of project/activity:
Mid-term evaluation as part of the European Training Foundation team.

Objectives:
To prepare a mid-term review of the Tacis project “Vocational Education and Training linked to the development of SMEs in Kazakhstan”.

Background:
The ETF is responsible for the “content monitoring” of the Tacis project “Vocational Education and Training linked to the development of SMEs in Kazakhstan”. Through its “content monitoring” services, the ETF pays special attention to the content and quality aspects of projects and processes, and is able to appreciate the relations between the project’s achievements and the environment conditions, the appropriateness of the inputs against the expected objectives and results.

Partners: n/a

Main activities:
An eight day mission was undertaken to Kazakhstan late April 2004 to carry out the mid-term review. It involved meetings with the most important project stakeholders: 1) in Almaty, the Delegation, the National Observatory, the Teacher training institute; 2) in Astana the Ministry of Education, the Academy of Education, 3) in one of the pilot regions, the VET schools, the employers and the local authorities. The purpose was to highlight the strong and weak aspects of the project and make recommendations to the EC Delegation in Kazakhstan to redirect it where necessary.

The mid-term review concentrated on content issues, and sought to appreciate the project in its global political environment. The objective was to assess whether the project objectives were still relevant or should be adjusted in the light of the changes taking place in the project environment and in education and training policy developments. It was also to examine the activities undertaken and how well they respond to overall objectives. Recommendations were formulated with a view to maximising local ownership of project activities and outcomes, engagement of local stakeholders in project activities, the integration of new and relevant information into the local environment, and the sustainable contribution of the project to the implementation of vocational educational reform initiatives in the country and impact of the project overall activities.

Client:
European Training Foundation

Expected outcomes, reports/documents:
A report was drafted by the evaluation team.

For more information, please contact Jean Gordon gordon@dauphine.fr