On November 14-15, 2024, events organized by the Central Asian Association for Education Accreditation (CAAAE) took place within the walls of KazNRTU named after K.I.Satbayev and the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE), including the International Workshop “Requirements for Accreditation Agencies of the ENAEE Network” and meetings of the ENAEE General Assembly. The International Workshop and the General Assembly of ENAEE were attended by Presidents, directors, representatives of accreditation agencies and international experts in the field of quality assurance in engineering education from more than 15 countries (Austria, France, Italy, Spain, USA, Romania, Great Britain, Taiwan, Belgium, Ireland, Russia, Finland, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and others).
The meeting was opened by the Chairman of the Management Board – Rector of KazNITU. M. Begentayev Satbayeva, who noted: “It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the K.I. Satbayev Kazakh National Research Technical University, the first technical university in Kazakhstan, which this year celebrates 90 years since its foundation. Our university has become a center of science and innovation, shaping the future of technical education in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.” He stressed the importance of the university’s participation in international accreditation, including the EUR-ACE accreditation process, which confirms the high level of training of specialists, and expressed confidence that compliance with international standards ensures a successful career for students. The Rector also noted the importance of the General Assembly for strengthening international educational ties and developing engineering education.
At the General Assembly, the President of the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education ENAEE, Professor Jose Quadado presented a report in which he presented information on current initiatives and progress made in the field of accreditation of engineering educational programs. The reports of the committees, including the reports of the Chairs of the EUR-ACE Framework Standards and Guidelines (EAFSG) working groups, were also reviewed.
The Assembly approved the report on the activities of the ESG working group and discussed financial results, forecasts and inventory plans for the end of September 2024. At the same time, the ENAEE budget for 2025 was approved.
During the elections, a number of important decisions were made, including the extension of the term of office of a member of the Administrative Council (AC) of ENAEE V. Esteban (Spain) from two to three years. In addition, 4 candidates for the AC ENAEE were elected for a term of two to three years. The President of ENAEE, Professor Jose Carlos Cuadrado, who is the main ideologist of a number of major projects in the Central Asian region, was also re-elected for a second term.
Thanks were expressed to the outgoing members of the ENAEE AC for their significant contribution to the development of the network.
During the session, the participants discussed the prospects for further development of accreditation of engineering education. The international experts of ENAEE (Russia, Romania and Spain) were also awarded for their active participation in the EUR-ACE process of accreditation of educational programs.
The meeting ended on a positive note, the participants expressed confidence in the further development of the network and strengthening the position of the European Accreditation of Engineering educational programs.
ENAEE events have become important in the integration of Europe with the Central Asian region, providing a unique platform for sharing experiences, discussing challenges and finding ways to solve them.