On April 7, 2025, an international online scientific and practical meeting on the topic "Modern approaches to the training of social educators" was held.

The event was attended by teachers of the Department of Preschool Education and Social Pedagogy of the Kazakh National Pedagogical University named after Abai - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Associate Professors Anar Alimbekova and Asem Bulshekbayeva. Scientists presented a scientific analysis of the substantive, methodological and value aspects of the professional training of social educators. In their speeches, they focused on the formation of value orientations of the personality of a social educator, the development of skills to work in an inclusive environment and the formation of professional competence.

The scientific coordinator of the meeting was Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor of the Kazakh National Women's Pedagogical University Meiramgul Bulakbayeva. She is currently undergoing a scientific internship at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign, USA) as part of the international Bolashak program. On her initiative, this meeting was organized, which became an important platform for deepening international scientific ties and exchanging modern experience in the field of social and pedagogical education.

The main speaker of the event was Ekateryna Woodford, Master of Public Administration (MPA), coordinator of undergraduate programs at the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois. In her report, she covered in detail the structure and content of the educational system for training social workers in the United States, a practice-oriented approach to learning, as well as a model of professional training based on the principles of inclusiveness, social justice and intercultural communication.

During the meeting, issues of transforming the content of education aimed at modernizing the process of training social educators, introducing a competency-based approach, and developing skills in a digital and inclusive environment were discussed. The participants paid special attention to the social mission of the teaching profession in the context of modern social challenges.

Representatives of leading Kazakhstani universities training social educators took part in the online meeting. Among them are the Kazakh National University named after Al-Farabi, the Kazakh National Women's Pedagogical University, the Aktobe Regional University named after K. Zhubanov, and the Karaganda University named after E. A. Buketov. The event involved the teaching staff and young researchers of these educational institutions. Following the meeting, the participants noted the importance of forming modern conceptual foundations for training social educators, implementing international research projects and strengthening academic mobility as strategic areas for further scientific cooperation.