educationEducation:MaximizingKazakhstan'shumanresourcepotentialBen Godwin,the Director ofExternal Relations inCapital Education102 № 5 (<strong>49</strong>), <strong>2011</strong>BEnergyFocusen Godwin, the Directorof External Relationsin Capital Education,is convincedthat the success ofhis firm is based on aprogressive businessmodel operating atthe heart of the newKazakhstan capital.“The right approachto client relations,built on a positive internal atmosphere,enables us to benefit from therapidly-developing economy here inAstana and become a leader in theeducation field.”Ben, what brought you to Kazakhstanand how did you begin work here?As far back as my school days I rememberbeing interested in the historyof the former Soviet Union. Ithen had the opportunity to write myMasters dissertation on the economicdevelopment of Central Asia from1991 under the supervision of professorswho had extensive experiencein the region. This was an extremelybeneficial experience and inspired meto head out to study Russian in theregion after graduation. I also spenta considerable amount of time workingfor a consultancy firm advising financialorganisations on investmentrisk in the region before coming outto work in the European Commissionhere.How did Capital Education come intoexistence?As I was finishing work at the EuropeanCommission I needed to make achoice: return to Europe and pursuea career in an area such as the diplomaticservice or stay in Kazakhstanand try something altogether new.The idea of launching a project in Kazakhstanwas extremely appealingand I was sure that it offered were farmore opportunities to for me develop.More than anything I wanted to workindependently and try something bymyself. This is when I joined my twolocal partners to work on Capital Education.I understand that Capital Educationprovides professional training for largeorganisations. What kinds of servicesdoes this involve?One of our key areas of activity isprofessional training for large organisationsand companies. As Kazakhstan’seconomy matures, companies
equire their staff to have the highestlevel of qualification and are preparedto invest in them. Our servicesgive Kazakhstan specialists accessto leading international consultantsfrom leading universities, businessschools and professional associations.Our considerable network is able tooffer a wide range of spheres includinghuman resource management, oiland gas engineering, management,finance, time management, logisticsand IT.How does your language training differfrom other centres?Despite the large demand Languagetraining in Kazakhstan is still in anearly stage of development. Thereare no major international languageschools and modern teaching methodologyis often little understood. Wehave introduced European standardsto our courses based on the CommonEuropean Framework of Referencefor Languages. We have alsoworked hard to recruit top internationalteachers and develop an internalculture of development, ensuringall have the ability to operate at thehighest level. And in fact our clientshave come to expand such a standardof service from us.Who are the eventual beneficiaries fromyour trainings?We have an extremely wide portfolioof services. We have over 400 clientsbenefitting from our services atany one time, from schoolchildren tomembers of parliament. Some learngeneral or business English, othersare preparing for international exams,while others still are receivingprofessional training within theircompanies and organisations. Ourfull-time trainers are qualified teachersbut have a number of other qualificationsin business, IT, and journalism.One of the key areas that CapitalEducation specialises in is studentrecruitment. Why are Kazakhstancitizens so interested in internationaleducation?I think, in the first instance, it comesfrom the parents. Parents here areprepared to invest huge amountsin their children’s development. Ithink that the parents really understandthat an education from a leadinginternational institution enablesstudents to be competitive in a globalisedeconomy. This is of particularrelevance to Kazakhstan due tothe rapidly growing number of internationalcompanies operating here,whether it be in the energy sphere,mining or retail. People recognise theopportunities that this education canbring them.You chose an original approach topromoting international education inKazakhstan with the Education Lifetelevision project. Could you tell us moreabout it?We have always been interested inlaunching new and creative projects.Education Life is unique in that it isthe only programme on Kazakhstantelevision that looks at the experienceof Kazakhstan students studyingabroad; how they live, the benefitsof their education and what theyhope to achieve in the future. Thefirst series was filmed in the UK inan ‘info-tainment’ format, ensuringit was informative while maintainingentertainment value. It has beenWe have over 400 clientsbenefitting from ourservices at any one time,from schoolchildren tomembers of parliamenta considerable success here and programmescontinue to be made.I hear a lot about the Capital Educationteam. Could you tell us more?Our team is relatively young, particularlyby international standards,but it consists of highly talented andmotivated people. Most of the teamhave received education abroad andare already respected specialists intheir field. We are all creative peopleand have established a very positiveworking environment based on respectand professional development.For example, we provide varioustrainings each week for all on subjectsranging from leadership skillsto organising personal finances. Thismaintains a dynamic atmosphereand encourages a very powerful teamspirit.Without such a strong team we wouldnot have been able to create such aninteresting company and launch somany projects. We have achievedmany firsts in Kazakhstan, such asour television project and have alsoworked hard to modernise and createefficiencies within the educationmarket. For example, we are the firstand only company to send studentsfor education abroad free of charge.There is no reason to charge clientsfor this service but all of our competitorsdo so. Client demands are rapidlychanging as they become moreaware of the possibilities availableto them and the only way to succeedin this kind of market is to be at theforefront of innovation.What other services does CapitalEducation offer?We run education and recruitmentexhibitions in the major cities of Kazakhstansuch as Astana, Almaty,Karaganda and Ust-Kamenogorsk.These events increase awarenessabout the possibilities of internationaleducation and gives young peoplethe opportunity to get a world-classeducation or find a job in an leadingcompany.We also run a scholarship programmewith the U.S. Embassy herein Astana for teenagers from disadvantagedbackgrounds. They receive6-hours free English language traininga week over the course of twoyears as well as careers training andother skills such as public speakingand acting. Upon completion of ourprogramme they will have an excellentchance of receiving a scholarshipat a top U.S. university, completelychanging their outlook on life.What would you say is the principlecause of Capital Education’s success?As I said, I think it comes down to astrong team and the correct approachtowards our work. Kazakhstan is goingthrough a really interesting periodat the moment, where a lot ofyoung, very talented and motivatedpeople are starting to make realchanges to their country. They areambitious, entrepreneurial and keento launch new projects. Being in Astana,Capital Education has really benefittedfrom this trend and is playingit’s own role within it. By giving ourstaff the freedom to develop and pursuenew projects we have establisheda very strong, progressive team. As aforeigner, it is really exciting to be apart of this process.KAZENERGY103
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