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Empowering Vocational Education Schools for Better Training

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  • Empowering Vocational Education Schools for Better Training

    PRESS RELEASE
    United Nations Development Programme / Armenia
    14 Petros Adamyan St., Yerevan 0010
    Contact: Mr. Hovhannes Sarajyan, Communications Associate
    Tel: +37410 566 073
    E-mail: [email protected]
    Web site: http://www.undp.am

    Empowering Vocational Education Schools for Better Training

    Yerevan, 30 May 2012 - During the Soviet times, most of the vocational
    education and training (VET) colleges in Armenia had well functioning
    workshops and laboratories. However, after the Armenia's independence
    and transition to a market-based economy most of the workshops became
    dysfunctional, equipment obsolete and teaching in these colleges
    mainly theoretical.

    UNDP Armenia over the recent years has exercised a policy of supplying
    new equipment to the selected VET colleges across the country based on
    well established social partnership models along with introduction of
    associated changes in state qualification standards, modular programs
    and development of Armenian language professional manuals to display a
    comprehensive approach to the ongoing reforms in the VET sector.

    During the last six years, the UNDP "Vocational Education and
    Training" project, thanks to bilateral donor assistance from Denmark
    and Norway, has secured funding for refurbishment of 21 VET colleges
    in Armenia. In order to make the learning process more attractive and
    practice-based, and align professional trainings to employers'
    requirements, UNDP procured state-of-art educational laboratory
    equipment (31 technical VET labs addressing more than 11 different
    professional occupations and 12 packages of modern IT equipment) for
    VET colleges in Armenia, thus substantively contributing to the
    upgrade of about 24 percent of the country's state VET schools.

    Today, Dafina Gercheva, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident
    Representative in Armenia, visited Vayots Dzor and Ararat Regional
    State Colleges to get familiarized on the ground with the UNDP support
    aimed at upgrade of facilities within VET institutions, as well as
    overall rehabilitation of the country's VET system, making it
    sustainable and market oriented.

    Since the region of Vayots Dzor is well known for its wine production
    and food-processing industry, UNDP VET project has procured wine
    testing equipment for Vayots Dzor Regional State College in September
    2011.
    The College, founded in 1971, is the only state mid-career institution
    in the region and has trained 3,000 alumni in 32 professions, playing
    a unique role in the youth upbringing and education in Vayots Dzor
    region.

    As part of the overall UNDP support, worth USD 200,000, in 2010 the
    college has also received 5 other educational laboratories, such as
    wood processing, wood curving, as well as vehicle driving and
    maintenance, and IT labs for implementation of practical classes in
    the premises of the college. Apart from enrichment of the college
    facilities with modern industrial workshops, the UNDP VET project
    fully involves the college faculty and administration in numerous
    capacity development activities, introducing modern educational
    technologies, methodological basics and transfer of international
    know-how in the VET field.

    "UNDP VET project has rapidly grown into one of the most ambitious
    educational projects in Armenia. The upgrade of facilities within VET
    institutions also gave an opportunity to impact community development
    through enrichment of the specialization scope and provision with
    necessary practices and knowledge aimed at training of more
    professionals demanded by the labor market. Upgraded VET schools have
    all the potential to make vocational education more attractive for
    young generation and to ensure competitive employment opportunities in
    urban and rural areas of Armenia," said Dafina Gercheva, UN RC/UNDP
    RR.

    Ararat Regional State College is one of the 12 multifunctional
    regional educational centers that greatly benefits from targeted
    support of the UNDP VET project. The college underwent a full scale
    renovation and a technical upgrade of its facilities throughout
    2010. The institution is now capable of holding classes aimed at
    preparing wood processing specialists and providing them with a
    thorough technical training. Wood processing covers a variety of needs
    starting from production of paper and pulp for further processing into
    timber, wood chips, cellulose and other prefabricated materials.
    In 2011, the UNDP VET project also established a modern sewing
    workshop to the college, which facilitates provision of professional
    trainings not only for the students, but also for the adults, who want
    to upgrade their skills through short-term training programs, in line
    with the needs of the local labor market.

    The VET project gradually but steadily is laying the foundation to
    rebuild VET institutions' infrastructure in Armenia, facilitating a
    partnership between VET institutions and employers, as well enhancing
    cooperation between different actors involved in the modernization of
    the VET system in Armenia.

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