Photo: Cemrecan Yurtman / Pexels
Companies in Kazakhstan that hire foreign workers must train local staff, with each mentor allowed to train up to three people at a time. The procedure is set out in an order issued by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Labour. Employees who do not fully master the skills cannot be dismissed or suspended on those grounds (inbusiness.kz).
What happened
Foreign specialists must share their expertise with Kazakhstani colleagues through mentoring. Employers decide how many people to assign to each mentor, taking the mentor’s workload into account. The maximum is three workers at a time.
The company must draw up a work plan for each participant or group. It must be approved internally within five working days of the mentor being assigned.
Training has four stages. First, the employee becomes familiar with production processes and technologies, then carries out tasks alongside the mentor. Next, the employee works independently under the senior colleague’s supervision, before a final assessment of their knowledge and skills.
What this means for companies
Management must check training progress once a month. At the end of the programme, the mentor prepares a report for the human resources department. Monthly reports to the ministry are not required: the company remains responsible for monitoring training progress internally.
According to the Ministry of Labour’s clarification, the rules do not provide for fines if an employee does not fully master their foreign colleague’s trade. However, serious breaches of labour law may lead to a refusal to renew foreign labour quotas.
The violations listed include exceeding the quota, failing to meet requirements for the proportion of Kazakhstani workers and failing to fulfil commitments to replace foreign staff. The list also includes certain cases of hiring foreign workers without a permit or in breach of its conditions.
What this means for workers
The final skills assessment does not require mandatory state examinations or certificates. Employees can choose to have their qualifications verified through specialist centres. Completing the programme does not, in itself, require the company to give an employee a pay rise or promote them to a more senior position.
“If an employee has not managed to master every skill perfectly, the law prohibits dismissing them or suspending them from work,” the Ministry of Labour stressed.
If an employee has not mastered all the skills, the company must arrange additional practical training, further instruction or an extension of the mentoring period. Pay rises and promotion to the next job level depend on the employer’s internal rules.
