17 colleges in Armenia have been refurbished, renovated and provided with appropriate equipment by the financial support of the European Union.
This process, which started in 2006 has ensured access to primary and vocational education for 9000 students.
Armavir Regional State College is among these educational institutions. On May 17, the College held an open doors day, which was attended by Head of EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Switalski.
At the meeting with teachers and students, he said that this was the first college that he visited after he arrived in Armenia as the EU Ambassador. “I am very proud that European Union is working together with the Government of Armenia and local authorities to help to develop education in Armenia. For more than 10 years we have been supporting vocational education training institutions, spending millions of Euros to improve the management, to improve the preparedness of teachers, but most importantly to renovate and refurbish collages. In our new project titled “Better Qualifications for Better Jobs” we also plan the employment component,” said the Ambassador
Ashot Arshakyan, Head of the Initial and Vocational Education department of the RA Ministry of Education, as well as Gagik Makaryan, Head of the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia (RUEA) participated in the event as well.
Ashot Arshakyan said that in recent years, this sector has undergone a number of reforms. “During the implementation of the reforms our system has received support from the state budget and international donor organizations. And if we are talking about donors, we should especial mention of the EU, which for many years has been working closely with the RA Ministry of Education and Science,” Mr. Arshakyan noted.
Thanks to the EU’s financial assistance to these college students are able to implement their own initiatives and to improve skills.
College student Argishti Petrosyan has made wine at home. “I intend to become a winemaker, and wines that I produce, I most of all love my white wine,” the young man said.
The EU Ambassador liked the red wine. He visited the pavilions, got acquainted with the work of students from several college of Armenia. At the end he approached the pavilion of Armavir Regional State College where the college students treated the Ambassador with the wine that they had produced. “For Peace and Armenia,” the ambassador raised his glass and tasted the drink.”
Notably, in 2006, after Armenia’s accession to the European Neighborhood Policy, the EU had decided to provide a total of 30 million euros to the Ministry of Education and Science for implementation of the reforms in vocational education training sphere as budgetary support. Currently, 17 Armenian colleges may offer new methods of teaching and administration, and two college became available for students with disabilities.
In the future, the EU will launch a new budget support. In the scope of “Better Qualifications for Better Jobs” project 15 million euros will be allocated to provide the Armenian youth with new educational and employment opportunities. The objective of the reforms program is to improve labor market opportunities for youth and placing particular emphasis on agricultural employment.
Gevorg Tosunyan
