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Three Model Employment Service Centers Mark New Start in Syunik Marz

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  • Three Model Employment Service Centers Mark New Start in Syunik Marz

    PRESS RELEASE
    USAID Pension and Labor Market Reform Project (PALM)
    8 Mher Lazarian Street
    Yerevan Armenia 0019
    (374 10) 529 334/5/6
    [email protected]
    www.plm.am

    THREE MODEL EMPLOYMENT SERVICE CENTERS MARK A NEW START IN SYUNIK MARZ

    01/04/11 12:30 - RA Minister of Labor and Social Issues (MLSI) Arthur
    Grigoryan and USAID/Armenia Mission Director Dr. Jatinder Cheema
    welcomed local job seekers and employers at ribbon cutting events in
    Sisian, Goris, and Meghri. These events marked a new step in
    delivering active labor market programs to Syunik marz communities by
    local Model Employment Service centers, newly renovated and
    refurbished by the USAID Armenia, Pension and Labor Market Reform
    Project (PALM).

    Throughout the last three years prior to these renovations, SESA
    trained its staff, including regional employment service centers, with
    the help of USAID projects in addressing labor market gaps through
    integrated public employment services, using active labor market
    measures, and in stimulating demand-driven job matching.
    `International experience has shown that refined active labor market
    programs are the most efficient way to reduce chronic unemployment,'
    noted Dr. Cheema in her opening remarks.

    `As model offices, these centers have customer-service orientation and
    introduce an array of programs to help employers and job seekers of
    Sisian, Goris, and Meghri,' said Mr. Grigoryan. Programs include labor
    market research, forecasting of in-demand jobs, matching job seekers
    to vacancies, and organizing job clubs that assist vulnerable
    populations in obtaining marketable skills.'This is yet a new step in
    improving Syunik marz workforce readiness and competitiveness!' added
    Ms. Harutyunyan, `We hope more centers will pick up the trend to
    provide better services to their communities.'

    Faced by the second highest unemployment rate among marzes in Armenia,
    as of December 2010, all three centers needed the appropriate support
    and infrastructure to offer modern-day model employment services to
    their customers. In particular, the Goris center worked from the
    Municipality building, while not having enough budget to provide for
    safe and professional working conditions for its staff. The center was
    badly in need of suitable reception area and training space among
    other things.

    >From October 2010 to February 2011, the USAID Armenia, PALM project
    renovated the entire centers, including replacement of windows and the
    doors, replacement of the floor, plastering and painting walls,
    improving electric wiring, internal cold water system construction and
    foyer, renovation of the restrooms and providing the room layout and
    needed furnishings. As emphasized by Ms. Harutyunyan, through these
    renovations the modernized offices will provide the setting to
    catalyze new linkages at the local level between labor market supply
    and demand. `We are very pleased to continue our work in a new
    setting,' said the Director the local employment center in Goris Mr.
    Varuzhan Galstyan, `This is great encouragement to all of our staff as
    well as center users and local employers!'

    # # #

    About PALM: PALM is USAID's primary project aimed to assist
    individuals, households, and communities better manage social risks or
    needs, provide support to the vulnerable employed and jobless
    individuals (particularly the low-skilled, women, and the disabled),
    and give greater attention to countering the effects of the global
    economic crisis. USAID PALM project has been providing technical
    assistance and support for human and institutional capacity building,
    and targets two key social protection areas: pension reform
    implementations and labor market interventions.




    From: A. Papazian
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