The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with the support of the regional nuclear education network STAR-NET, conducted a mission to strengthen national educational and training capacities in support of the NPP Program. The mission was implemented within the framework of the national technical cooperation project of the IAEA “Supporting the development of infrastructure for the introduction of the nuclear power programme.”

The mission took place on the basis of D. Serikbayev East-Kazakhstan Technical University (EKTU) and S.Amanzholov East-Kazakhstan University (EKU) in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Republic of Kazakhstan, April 22-25, 2025.

A team of experts from the IAEA (Zhivitskaya E.N.), Belarus (Timoshchenko A.I., Belorussian State Univesity) and Russia (Volkov Yu.N., National Research Nuclear University MEPhI) developed recommendations on optimizing and improving existing nuclear education programmes and creating new programmes to support the development of nuclear energy based on international best practices to ensure their compliance with national standards requirements and sustainability.

The EKTU is creating a new educational program for the operation of nuclear power plants aimed at training highly qualified specialists in the field of nuclear energy who possess the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge and skills for successful professional activity, meet the requirements of national and international labor markets and are able to make a significant contribution to the development of the industry. The EKU is implementing a bachelor’s degree program in nuclear physics and is creating a new master’s degree program in nuclear technology to train specialists for the national nuclear power plant development programme.

The cooperation of the universities of Kazakhstan with the partners of the STAR-NET network will make it possible to use their educational resources and experience in training specialists for nuclear energy.