On December 19, M. Narikbayev KAZGUU University hosted an extended meeting of the Academic Methodological Association on ‘Law’ and ‘On the transformation of AMA activities into the Project Management Team’. Member universities of AMA, as well as interested employers and associations of employers, have been invited. The issues of transformation of the AMA activities into the format of the Project Management Team (PMT) have been considered based on the principle of a project office. Representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security of the Republic of Kazakhstan, ‘Atameken’ NCE, Ernst & Young consulting groups in Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as Yevniy Consulting Group have been invited to the meeting to exchange their experience in implementing projects on the project management, and, in particular, in the areas of education.

In the presentation of M. Daulenov, Deputy Chairman of AMA, a new AMA format in ‘Law’ has been identified, and directions for project management teams have been proposed. Thus, it was proposed for the project team ‘Developing a portfolio of educational programs’ consisting of representatives of universities and employers to develop a model of the educational program with the identification of students’ skills and competencies as well as learning outcomes taking into account the recommendations of employers (IT competencies, practical orientation, legal writing technique, professional experience, project management, etc.) and to update educational programs in ’Law’ to modern qualification requirements, providing the real choice of elective courses and practical orientation.

On the basis of the analysis of educational programs in ‘Law’ and the discussion with the participants in the meeting, it was proposed to create the Project Management Team ‘Textbooks with Updated Content’ from among the university representatives with synchronization and harmonization of textbooks, taking into account the levels of training with the requirements development for the textbooks preparation and writing. In modern conditions, great importance is attached to the issues of strengthening the connection between universities, employers, and the business community based on the transition from providing knowledge to a set of skills that allow graduates to meet the expectations of employers and the focus of universities on graduate employment. All these issues were covered during the meeting by O. Ordabayev, Deputy Chairman of the Board, Member of the Board of the ‘Atameken’ National Chamber of Entrepreneurs.

In a speech made by Zigangarova E.V., the invited guest, Senior Consultant of Ernst & Young in Central Asia and the Caucasus, ‘On the National Qualification System in Kazakhstan, planned activities for the development of the BCI and professional standards’, the attention of the meeting participants was drawn to the National Qualifications Framework. It has been proposed by ‘Atameken’ NCE, when developing Professional standards in ‘Law’, to consider the certification of legal personnel on the basis of competencies and qualifications of specialists in the market of professional legal services proposed by the Kazakhstan Law Society in conjunction with the AMA.

B. Galiyev, Head of the Project Office for the Development of the Social and Labor Sector of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security of the Republic of Kazakhstan, have been invited to act as a consultant on the exchange of experience and information, as part of project management, on the transformation of AMA in ‘Law’ to the PMT. A. Yevniev, Yevniy Consulting Group Managing Partner, has made his presentation on ‘The Practice of Project Management Application in Universities’, and told the participants how to help universities move to the Management of Change through project management tools. Holding an extended meeting of AMA in ‘Law’ allowed the participants to discuss the directions of the PMT, with specific proposals for their implementation. The holding of this event is timely and in tune with those changes in the field of higher education that will affect the entire academic community, in the context of the adoption of the State Program for the Development of Education and Science in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2020-2025.