KEY MESSAGESEMPLOYER SATISFACTION IS TIED TO STRONG INTERPERSONAL AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS. THESE ARE OUR GRADUATES' STRONGEST QUALITIES.

EMPLOYERS IN THE MOST PROFITABLE SECTORS — OIL/GAS AND CONSULTING — ARE THE MOST SATISFIED WITH KIMEP GRADUATES.

THERE IS A STRONG NEED FOR IMPROVED CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS. EMPLOYERS ALSO REPORT A STRONG FOCUS ON RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE.

PERFORMANCE KIMEP GRADUATES WERE ASSESSED ACROSS A SERIES OF SKILLS ON A SCALE OF 1-5.

THESE SKILLS FALL UNDER FOUR CATEGORIES: PROFESSIONAL, COMMUNICATION , INTERPERSONAL AND BUSINESS/ ENTERPRISE SKILLS.

KIMEP GRADUATES PERFORM WELL, SCORING ABOVE 4.0 IN ALL CATEGORIES.

THEY ALSO EXCELL AT INTERPERSONAL SKILLS (4.24), THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILL FOR EMPLOYERS (4.62).

PERFORMANCE

Interpersonal skills Professional preparation Communication skills Business/ Enterprise Skills3.4

3.6

3.8

4

4.2

4.4

4.6

4.8

5

Satisfaction Importance

PERFORMANCE KIMEP GRADUATES WERE WEAKEST IN COMMUNICATION SKILLS (4.12) AND BUSINESS/ ENTERPRISE SKILLS (4.04).

THE LATTER IS ALSO THE SOURCE OF THE LARGEST GAP BETWEEN EMPLOYERS' WANTS AND ACTUAL PERFORMANCE.

EXPECTATION GAPS

Business/ Enterprise Skills Interpersonal skills Professional preparation Communication skills0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

0.45

SKILLS SUMMARY OVERALL, THE THREE HIGHEST RATED SKILLS OF KIMEP GRADUATES ARE: COMPUTER SKILLS (4.45), ENGLISH LANGUAGE (4.37) AND THE ABILITY TO WORK INDEPENDENTLY (4.29).

THE THREE LOWEST RATED SKILLS ARE: RESEARCH SKILLS (3.92), THE ABILITY TO ORGANIZE AND DELEGATE TASKS (3.88) AND CRITICAL THINKING (3.84).

THE THREE LARGEST EXPECTATION GAPS ARE: SOLVING PROBLEMS (0.77), THE ABILITY TO ORGANIZE AND DELEGATE TAKS (0.56), AND PRODUCTIVITY (0.56).

SKILLS SUMMARY

Computer skills

English language

Ability to work independently

Ability/willin

gness to learn

Quality of w

ork

Professional attit

ude

Conducting work activ

ities in

an ethical m

anner

Overall academic p

reparation

Ability to adjust t

o new job demands

Creativity

Defining problems

Ability to work in teams

Ability to apply k

nowledge

Productivity

Reading

Working under pressure

Ability to prioritiz

e tasks

Willingness

to accept new responsib

ilities

Time management

Written co

mmunication

Initiative

Public speaking and presentation

Solving problems

Listening

Research sk

ills

Ability to organize

and delegate tasks

Critical th

inking3.4

3.6

3.8

4

4.2

4.4

4.6

4.8

5

Satisfaction Importance

PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION

IN THIS CATEGORY OF SKILLS, KIMEP GRADUATES ARE STRONGEST IN THEIR COMPUTER SKILLS (4.45) AND ABILITY TO LEARN (4.29).

THEY ARE WEAKEST IN THEIR TIME MANAGEMENT (4.05) AND RESEARCH SKILLS (3.92), THE LATTER IS THE LEAST IMPORTANT TO EMPLOYERS (3.61).

EMPLOYERS EXPECTATIONS ARE EXCEEDED BY GRADUATES' RESEARCH AND COMPUTER SKILLS.

PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION

Computer skills Ability/willingness to learn

Quality of work Overall academic preparation

Ability to apply knowledge

Productivity Time management Research skills3.4

3.6

3.8

4

4.2

4.4

4.6

4.8

5

Satisfaction Importance

COMMUNICATION IN THIS CATEGORY OF SKILLS, KIMEP GRADUATES ARE STRONGEST IN THEIR READING (3.93) AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS (4.25). BOTH EXCEED EMPLOYER'S EXPECTATIONS.

THEY ARE WEAKEST IN THEIR LISTENING AND PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS, BOTH OF WHICH ARE LOWER THAN THE IMPORTANCE THAT EMPLOYERS PLACE IN THESE SKILLS.

COMMUNICATION

English language Reading Written communication Public speaking and presentation

Listening3.4

3.6

3.8

4

4.2

4.4

4.6

4.8

5

Satisfaction Importance

INTERPERSONAL IN THIS CATEGORY OF SKILLS, KIMEP GRADUATES ARE STRONGEST IN THEIR ABILITY TO WORK INDEPENDENTLY (4.29) AND WEAKEST IN THEIR ABILITY TO WORK IN TEAMS(4.15). THIS IS STILL ONE OF THE HIGHEST SCORES FOR ALL SKILLS.

WHILE SCORES IN THIS CATEGORY ARE GENERALLY HIGH (ABOVE 4.2 IN ALL BUT TEAMWORK), KIMEP GRADUATES DO NOT MATCH THE IMPORTANCE THAT EMPLOYERS PLACE ON THESE SKILLS IN ANY CATEGORY.

INTERPERSONAL

Ability to work independently Professional attitude Conducting work activities in an ethical manner Ability to work in teams3.4

3.6

3.8

4

4.2

4.4

4.6

4.8

5

Satisfaction Importance

BUSINESS/ENTERPRISESCORES ARE GENERALLY WEAKER IN THIS CATEGORY THAN IN OTHERS. NO SCORES EXCEED 4.2 AND THREE FALL BELOW 4.0 (SOLIVING PROBLEMS (3.95), ABILITY TO ORGANIZE AND DELEGATE TASKS (3.88), AND CRITICAL THINKING (3.84)).

KIMEP GRADUATES RECEIVED THE HIGHEST SCORES FOR CREATIVITY (4.15), WHICH IS THE LEAST IMPORTANT SKILL FOR EMPLOYERS (4.19).

ALL OF THE SKILLS ARE SCORED LOWER THAN THE IMPORTANCE REPORTED BY EMPLOYERS.

BUSINESS/ENTERPRISE

Creativity Ability to adjust to new job demands

Defining problems

Working under pressure

Ability to prioritize tasks

Willingness to accept new responsibilities

Initiative Solving problems

Ability to organize and delegate tasks

Critical thinking

3.4

3.6

3.8

4

4.2

4.4

4.6

4.8

5

Satisfaction Importance

BY SECTOROIL AND GAS COMPANIES GAVE KIMEP GRADUATES THE HIGHEST SCORES.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES GAVE KIMEP GRADUATES THE LOWEST SCORES.

HOWEVER, TRENDS IN RATINGS CORRESPOND WITH THE SIZE OF THE SAMPLES, WHICH MIGHT LOWER THE CREDIBILITY OF SOME OF THE SCORES.

BY SECTOR

Oil/Gas Consulting Transportation Manufacturing Conglomerate NGO Banking Consumer Goods Telecom3.4

3.6

3.8

4

4.2

4.4

4.6

4.8

5

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Average Number of Companies in Sample

KIMEP GRADS EMPLOYED

COMPANIES THAT EMPLOYED THE HIGHEST NUMBERS OF KIMEP GRADUATES REPORTED THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF SATISFACTION.

OTHER THAN THE CATEGORY 2-4 EMPLOYEES, THERE IS NO CORRELATION BETWEEN THE SIZE OF THE SAMPLE AND THE LEVELS OF SATISFACTION.

KIMEP GRADS EMPLOYED

100 or more 20-99 10-19 5-9 2-4 Only 13.4

3.6

3.8

4

4.2

4.4

4.6

4.8

5

0

3

6

9

12

15

18

21

24

Satisfaction Sample Size

BY COMPANYCOMPANIES GIVING KIMEP GRADUATES THE HIGHEST RATINGS INCLUDE CASPIAN BANK, TETHYS AND SHELL.

SOME OF THE LOWEST INDIVIDUAL RATINGS COME FROM SULPAK, ABN AMRO AND UNDP.

BY COMPANY (TOP 15) Company Sector Number of Employees Average Scores

JSC "Bank Caspian" Banking 20-99 5

LLP "Insurance broker "Aon Kazakhstan" Consulting 2-4 5

Tethys Oil/gas 2-4 5

Kazatomprom Manufacturing 2-4 4.97

Shell Kazakhstan Development B.V. Oil/gas 5-9 4.91

LLP "TS Engineering Group" Business Congolmerate

2-4 4.84

Alliance for Open Society International Branch NGO 2-4 4.84

LLP "Finsovet" Consulting 2-4 4.82

Urker Cosmetics Manufacturing 2-4 4.75

JSC "KCell" Telecommunication 5-9 4.69

JSC "National Innovation Fund" Consulting 5-9 4.58

PriceWaterhouseCoopers Consulting 100 or more 4.58

SOS Kazakhstan LLC Oil/gas 5-9 4.54

LLP "Astana Group" Business Congolmerate

10-19 4.5

Proctor & Gamble Retail 20-99 4.48

BY COMPANY (MID 14) Company Sector Number of Employees Average Scores

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Transportation 2-4 4.43

Home Credit Kazakhstan Banking 5-9 4.38

JSC "BankCenterCredit" Banking 20-99 4.37

LLP Ernst&Young Consulting 100 or more 4.36

Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia NGO 5-9 4.18

JSC "Temirbank" Banking 2-4 4.08

JSC "Center for Marketing and Analytical Research"

Consulting 2-4 4.05

Deloitte Consulting 20-99 4.02

Citibank Banking 10-19 4

JSC "Kazinvest bank" Banking 5-9 4

JSC "Kazkommerts bank" Banking 100 or more 4

LLP "Dinal" Heineken Group Manufacturing 2-4 4

USKO International JSC Business Congolmerate

10-19 4

BY COMPANY (LAST 14) Company Sector Number of Employees Average Scores

Panasonic CIS Retail 2-4 3.99

JSC "Financial industrial group "Atameken holding"

Business Congolmerate

one only 3.94

Bank Property Development Business Congolmerate

5-9 3.87

International Institute of Modern Politics (MISP) NGO 2-4 3.87

JSC "Logycom" Retail 5-9 3.81

UNDP NGO 2-4 3.75

LLP "Altyn Biday 2000" Manufacturing one only 3.59

Eximbank Kazakhstan Banking 2-4 3.49

JSC "BCC INVEST" Banking 5-9 3.49

Ducat Telecom Company Telecommunication 2-4 3.48

SB “HSBC Bank Kazakhstan” JSC Banking 5-9 3.4

Delegation of the European Commission in Kazakhstan

NGO 2-4 3.35

ABN AMRO Bank Banking 20-99 3.31

LLP "Sulpak" Retail 2-4 3.28

LLP Park Residence Consulting Business Congolmerate

one only 3.12

LLP "KaR-Tel" Telecommunication 5-9 2.96

HIRING CRITERIASURVEYED COMPANIES GAVE AN ASSESSMENT OF THEIR HIRING CRITERIA, RANKING FACTORS FROM 3 (VERY IMPORTANT) TO 1 (NOT IMPORTANT).

PREVIOUS WORK EXPERIENCE (2.64) AND COMMUNICATION/ ATTITUDE (2.63) WERE CONSIDERED THE MOST IMPORTANT QUALITIES IN AN APPLICANT, WHILE INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE (1.9) AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PROFESSORS (1.57) THE LEAST.

HIRING CRITERIA

Previous work experience

Communication/attitude

Reputation of the University

Current employer recommendations

Previous employer recommendations

Applicant’s major field of study

Grades Test scores Internship experience

Recommendation from a professor

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

EMPLOYER COMMENTSMORE THAN HALF OF SURVEYED COMPANIES PROVIDED COMMENTS IN THE SURVEY.

THE LARGEST NUMBER OF COMMENTS FOCUSED ON THE NEED FOR MORE WORK EXPERIENCE.

EMPLOYERS ALSO REGULARLY IDENTIFIED A NEED FOR SECTOR SPECIFIC SKILLS (KNOWLEDGE OF IT, SPECIFIC BANKING AND FINANCE ISSUES), BETTER LANGUAGE SKILLS AND GENERAL PROFESSIONAL SKILLS (CRITICAL THINKING, PROBLEM SOLVING, LEADERSHIP, ETC.)

EMPLOYER COMMENTS

More work experience

Sector-specific skills Better language skills

General professional skills

Healthier expectations about employment and promotion

Ability to work in teams

Knowledge of local legislation

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

JOB PROSPECTS94% WOULD HIRE ANOTHER KIMEP

GRADUATE IN THE FUTURE68% WOULD PARTICIPATE IN INTERNSHIP

PROGRAMS34% WOULD IMMEDIATELY HIRE KIMEP

STUDENTS AFTER COMPLETING THEIR INTERNSHIP

RECOMMENDATIONSTHE LOW SCORES IN CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING ARE WORRISOME. PEDAGOGY SHOULD SPECIFICALLY FOCUS ON THESE SKILLS.

CLASSES SHOULD ALSO GIVE STUDENTS MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP TEAMWORK AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS, AS THEY ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO EMPLOYERS.

THE LOW IMPORTANCE OF INTERNSHIPS, COMBINED WITH THE NEED FOR MORE WORK EXPERIENCE, SHOW A NEED FOR ASSESSING THE OUTCOMES OF OUR INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS.

REMARKS ON THE SURVEYBY SECTOR SCORES TRENDED TO THE SIZE OF THE SAMPLE. IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF COMPANIES SURVEYED IN THE FUTURE.

AS OF RIGHT NOW, THERE IS NO WAY TO BENCHMARK AND COMPARE THE PERFORMANCE OF KIMEP GRADUATES TO THOSE FROM OTHER UNIVERSITIES.

MORE OVERLAP BETWEEN HIRING CRITERIA AND SKILL ASSESSMENT WOULD ALSO BE USEFUL.