Training schools and lycees
Education is free in Kazakhstan’s training schools, barring the possibility of having to cover the costs of textbooks and special equipment. Students attend these schools for one to three years, depending on their chosen course, of which all are vocational.
Students leave training schools equipped with the knowledge to proceed to work or continue their education at a university.
There is little difference between training schools and lycees in Kazakhstan, other than that in lycees basic academic education is also offered, and that all courses last three years.
Colleges
Colleges in Kazakhstan are state-run and provided to pupils for free in a bid to decrease the amount of students leaving at the age of 15, the age at which education is no longer compulsory. Students must pay for their own textbooks, however.
Students can attend colleges to take part in further vocational training, with courses in general academia also available. The Ministry of Education sets the college system’s curriculum.
Students who have already attended upper secondary education and vocational training can receive an accelerated course in Kazakhstan’s colleges.