S.t. On October 23, in Tavush region, at the Ijevan branch of Yerevan State University, a conference on "Education and economic cooperation in regions" was held.
The conference was convened jointly with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia and the "Business and Education-Cooperation" Foundation (BEC) in Germany. Within the framework of the "Vocational Education and Training (VET)-cooperation in the South Caucasus" project.
The conference was attended by Tavush Governor Hayk Chobanyan, Head of the Primary (Vocational) and Secondary Vocational Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Armenia Artak Aghbalyan, Head of the German "Vocational Education and Training (VET)-Cooperation in the South Caucasus" program Ute Fok, "Business and Education-Cooperation" founder of the foundation and head of the German "Vocational Education and Training (VET)-cooperation in the South Caucasus" program Marine Zhamkochian, director of the Ijevan branch of Yerevan State University Anushavan Makaryan, head of the "EU for Youth: Skills for the Future" program of the "Save the Children" program Anush Kostanyan, Lilit Chitchyan, an expert in the protection of the interests of Save the Children Armenia, as well as representatives of the Tavush regional administration, employers, directors of VET institutions operating in the regions of Armenia, and others.
The purpose of the conference was to contribute to the development of dialogue and cooperation between education and economy in Tavush region, bringing together representatives of VET sector and business sector, as well as local and international programs operating in the field of professional education.
In his speech, Tavush Marz Governor H. Chobanyan highlighted the importance of encouraging and motivating vocational education among young people, starting from the development of an entrepreneurial mindset to choosing a profession. It is necessary to support young people in the steps towards the implementation of their own initiatives, emphasizing the acquisition of knowledge and profession.
H. Chobanyan also mentioned the problems in the field of professional education in Tavush region, including the lack of specialists in a number of professions, for example, forest specialists, agronomists, veterinarians, animal breeders, builders.
For the economy of the region, the development of the labor market and the prevention of migration, it is necessary to make professional education attractive by contributing to the development of professional practical skills of students, the organization of training in employing companies.
The regional head of the German "Vocational Education and Training (VET)-cooperation in the South Caucasus" program, Ute Fock, presented the goals of the German program and the activities carried out within its framework. Mrs. Fok stated that she agrees with Mr. Chobanyan, the need for employers' involvement in VET training is great and it is necessary to carry out not only theoretical but also practical training, that it is important to find ways to make VET effective in regions as well, as it is done in Germany .
He is happy that representatives of the government, businessmen, and VET institutions are also involved in various events and activities of the "VET - Cooperation" program aimed at improving VET education. "And if previously employers, VET institutions were involved in the activities of the project, we lacked the involvement of the third party, state bodies, but today the third party is with us, at the hands of the governor of Tavush. And the joint efforts of these three parties - state bodies, educational institutions and employers - will contribute to the effective implementation of the work, and our work to improve education will become even more successful and effective," said Mrs. Fok.
Marine Zhamkochian, the founder of the "Business and Education-Cooperation" Foundation and the Armenian head of the German "Vocational Education and Training (VET)-Cooperation in the South Caucasus" program, presented the activities of the German VET program in Armenia, which has been operating for three years. The goal of the project is to contribute to the development of professional education in VET institutions through the introduction of the German dual education system, promoting the development of professional practical skills and knowledge of young people in Armenia.
M. Zhamkochian mentioned various activities implemented by the program for both students and directors of VET institutions. One of them was the training courses for trainers (animators) organized in Germany in August, which was attended by 13 representatives, directors of VET institutions and employers.
The program has created an electronic platform for labor market research and analysis, "Labor Market Situation Analysis-Monitoring", which provides an opportunity for VET institutions and enterprises to effectively cooperate by providing information on professions in demand in the labor market, vacancies, providing internships in private companies, students or interns, work on seeking professionals, etc. An appropriate questionnaire has been developed, through which a study is conducted once a year (possibly twice) to identify the needs and requirements of the labor market for professional personnel and VET institutions.
2017-2018 During this period, surveys of organizations in 4 sectors selected by the program were carried out twice. As a result of the survey analysis, we found out that there is a lack of professional personnel needed by employers in the mentioned fields (cooks, barrel makers, various specialists in information technology, tourism and service, etc.), which created an opportunity for the creation and implementation of the measures of the second direction of the project.
As a result of the creation of the labor market study monitoring system implemented within the framework of the project, some professions that are most in demand in the labor market became clear, even those for which professional training is not organized in VET institutions. For this purpose, within the framework of the VET program, with the support of the BKG Foundation, the development and printing of training and methodical manuals for the professions of barrel maker and blacksmith was carried out for teaching in the relevant VET institutions.
Currently, a competition for the creation of cartoon/animated films by students of schools and VET institutions is being held under the title "My point of view on the importance of secondary professional education", in which about 20 students and pupils from different regions of the Republic of Armenia are participating. The purpose of the event is to increase the role and importance of vocational education and training among young people, parents, encouraging creative presentation by students about the importance of vocational education through information technology.
The works are many and continuous.
Welcoming the participants of the forum, Artak Aghbalyan, Head of the Department of Primary (Vocational) and Secondary Vocational Education of the RA Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, presented a report, "The reforms of the National Vocational Education and Training Center in Armenia, the priorities of the National Vocational Education and Training Center, the problems, and the steps to solve them." A. Aghbalyan also mentioned the importance of the involvement of stakeholders in the field of M&E, as well as the importance of many programs implemented by donor organizations. He noted that the cooperation with the German vocational training program will be continuous for the benefit of the improvement of education.
Summarizing the work of the conference, the participants once again emphasized the need for cooperation between state institutions and the private sector, particularly in the development of the economic environment in the marzes, the creation of an education-economy dialogue, and due to this, the raising of professions in demand in the labor market, the creation and provision of jobs, and the training of professional personnel in the marzes. Which will contribute to the prevention of internal and external migration in Armenia.
