Results of the Year
How Samruk-Kazyna and ExxonMobil Are Shaping the Next Generation of STEM Educators
More than three hundred women from the Atyrau Region have become certified robotics trainers. A final forum of the STEM Hanym project was held in Atyrau—an initiative that, in just a few months, has grown into one of the region’s largest programs for developing engineering and digital competencies among women educators.
The program targets women educators aged 18 to 45, who can take free courses to broaden their competencies and gain new opportunities for professional and career growth. Training is hybrid: online classes introduced participants to the foundations of STEM education, while offline sessions took the form of hackathons held in the regional capital and in towns across Atyrau Region.
As a result, the program—funded by the Samruk-Kazyna Trust corporate foundation on behalf of the Samruk-Kazyna Group of Companies and ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc.—enabled more than 300 teachers to complete full training and receive certificates as STEM trainers.
The forum, held on November 4 in Atyrau, was the culmination of extensive work that included online courses, offline intensives, hackathons, and the development of original STEM projects. Participants came from Atyrau, Makhambet, Makat, Zhylyoi, and Kurmangazy districts— and for many educators, such a comprehensive, professional robotics course became directly accessible for the first time.
STEM Hanym: A Growth Point for the Region
STEM education, encompassing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, is one of the most dynamic areas of global education. Kazakhstan is also actively developing STEM education, yet the regions continue to face a shortage of trained personnel. This is especially true of rural schools, where equipment is available but very few teachers know how to work with robotics and digital platforms.
The STEM Hanym project has become a response to this problem. Its main goal is to strengthen the leadership and professional potential of women educators so that they can not only teach engineering disciplines but also act as conduits of innovation in their schools.
At the first stage alone, the program showed enormous interest: more than 1,000 educators applied to participate, studying the basics of robotics, mechanics, programming, and design thinking in an online format. The top participants completed offline seminars and hackathons, where they prepared their own STEM projects and competed in teams.
At the hands-on hackathons, the women learned to work with LEGO Education kits, the basics of robot programming, team collaboration, and methods for solving real-world tasks.
Atyrau Forum: Inspiration, Experience, and Recognition
The final event was held as an intensive educational forum. The finalists presented their projects, ranging from the development of instructional modules in robotics to original club programs and engineering problems for school students. Their ideas were practical and targeted to the real needs of schools in the region.
Key speakers from Kazakhstan’s education system addressed the finalists:
- Kulyash Shamshidinova, public figure, former Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Sustainable Development of Education (FURO). She delivered a report on the role of supplementary education and STEM approaches in developing students’ functional literacy.
- Kuralay Baytazhikova, leading educator, former principal of prestigious capital schools, head of USTART Academy, who spoke on “The Core of Teaching: Significance, Meaning, Mission,” emphasizing the teacher’s mission-driven role in the era of digital transformation.
Certificates for STEM trainers, diplomas for hackathon finalists, and awards for active forum participants were presented by Gibrat Auganov, Managing Director of Samruk-Kazyna JSC, and Ainur Musabekova, Public and Government Relations Manager at ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc.
Engineering Skills for Every School
The main outcome of the program is more than 300 new STEM trainers ready to introduce engineering and digital disciplines into the school process. Thanks to the project:
- new robotics clubs are opening in schools across the region;
- curricula are being updated, with more project-based work appearing;
- students’ interest in engineering disciplines and IT is growing;
- a professional community of women leaders in the STEM field is taking shape;
- a foundation is being created for schools to participate in regional and national engineering competitions.
The effect is especially valuable for rural schools, where robotics was previously used only sporadically and, in some cases, equipment stood idle.
According to the organizers’ assessment, the project's expected multiplier effect is a reach of more than 15,000 students in the Atyrau Region in the coming years.
A Project That Is Changing the Future
The STEM Hanym initiative has become more than an educational program; it has created a platform for the sustainable development of engineering education in the region. Teachers gained not only new skills but also confidence, support, a professional community, and the drive to improve the educational environment around them.
The project shows that when women teachers gain access to quality STEM training, the entire school ecosystem changes. And when there are hundreds of such teachers, the region and the country change.
ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc. proudly supports initiatives such as STEM Hanym because we believe in the power of knowledge to change people and society. STEM skills are the foundation of innovation, and innovation is the key to building a sustainable future not only for the energy industry but for society as a whole. By investing in STEM education, we help prepare the next generation of engineers, scientists, and problem solvers. Let this be only the beginning. Our goal is to be part of a society that strives to build a future grounded in knowledge, innovation, and opportunity.