Kazakhstan: ENU rector on training skilled construction and energy specialists

Erlan Sydykov, rector of the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, describes President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's Address to the people of Kazakhstan as a strategic document that sets the direction for a new stage of national development. The Address outlines reforms aimed at strengthening internal stability, raising economic potential and improving living standards. Sydykov backs the President's proposal to declare 2027 the Year of Nationwide Large-Scale Construction, noting that every school, hospital, road, library and sports complex depends on the knowledge and work of qualified specialists.

The university's architecture and construction faculty trains specialists in this field. Students study building design, construction technologies, engineering systems and digital design. The university runs educational programmes with Leipzig University of Applied Sciences and Grenoble Alpes University, and a double-degree programme in nuclear physics with Dubna University. ENU also trains specialists in electric power, heat power and green energy technologies.

Researchers are studying hydrogen production and storage, materials for solid oxide fuel cells, energy saving and the reuse of waste heat through heat pumps. According to Sydykov, the university's task is to train specialists who build the country, produce its energy, manage its infrastructure reliably and understand how their work affects people's lives.