REHABILITATING INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSFORMING LIVES

Cooperative Housing Foundation International
April 11 2006

When he first saw an announcement for vocational training, 24-year-old
Tigran Babayan had no idea that the opportunity would transform his
life. “I didn’t think it could be the start of a career for me. I had
been registered in the unemployment center for the past three years
but, because I didn’t have any specific skills, I couldn’t find a job,”
Tigran recalled.

But, through Building and Rehabilitating Infrastructure for Development
and Growth in Employment (BRIDGE) program — funded by the American
People through the US Agency for International Development (USAID),
and implemented by CHF International — hundreds of unemployed and
underemployed Armenians like Tigran are attending training courses
that are empowering them to secure jobs rehabilitating the country’s
dilapidated infrastructure.

Tigran’s vocational training in painting and wood flooring enabled
USAID/Armenia, CHF International and Vanadzor Municipality to open a
new Sports Hall at Vanadzor School #6 on March 24, 2006. The newly
renovated sports hall is the only facility of its kind in Tsalkut
District the community and provides space for sporting and other
community events.

The renovation of the sports hall was not only prioritized by
the community, but it also provided 45 vulnerable residents with
short-term employment opportunities, and incorporated vocational
training in painting/plastering and wood flooring construction
trades. The trainings were overwhelmingly successful; 28 trainees
completed classroom training and on-the-job internships in the process,
gaining valuable marketable skills in construction trades.

Tigran performed well during the internship. Aghababyan Ltd., a
construction firm subcontracted by CHF International to renovate
the sports hall, was so impressed that they hired him as a permanent
employee. Aghababyan has also invested in his further training, with
Tigran and three other trainees spending time in Yerevan learning
specialized techniques in installing metallic window and door frames.

The construction firm plans to open a workshop for this trade in
Vanadzor, and will employ Tigran and three fellow graduates of the
BRIDGE program.

The training opportunity was also important for 19-year old Lyova
Vardanov: “The USAID Public Works Program changed our lives. I was a
bit skeptical in the beginning. I had some hope to learn some skills
and gain short-term employment on the project, but I never expected I’d
get a permanent job out of it. This is something I never dreamed of.”

Ararat Poghosyan, head engineer at Aghababyan Ltd., feels quite
positive about the program. He noted that his company has faced
difficulties in the past finding younger skilled workers. Many skilled
laborers have left the country for employment opportunities abroad,
and the company relies on older craftsmen (many of whom will soon be
retiring) for skilled work in painting and wood flooring. In addition,
there are very few in-country training programs to adequately equip
a new workforce with the necessary knowledge and skills to enter
professions in the construction sector. Mr. Poghosyan believes
the USAID/CHF program is helping to fill a big gap in the Armenian
labor market.

Aghababyan Ltd. was so pleased with the skills of the Vanadzor trainees
that, in total, they hired 15 BRIDGE program interns. Mr.

Poghosyan says that Aghababyan hired the trainees because of “their
knowledge of the trades they were trained in, good work attitudes,
and great sense of responsibility.”

Now that the Vanadzor School #6 Sports Hall is finished, Tigran and
other BRIDGE graduates are preparing to work on a project renovating
Vanadzor Engineering University with Aghababyan, in another opportunity
to further hone the skills they have acquired through the USAID Public
Works project.