"ENTERPRISE-EDUCATIONAL COMPLEX COOPERATION" CONFERENCE HELD IN YEREVAN

NOYAN TAPAN

Jun e 24

30 educational institutions (schools, colleges, higher educational
institutions) and 52 enterprises (employers) of Yerevan, as well
as Shirak, Ararat, Lori and Aragatsotn marzes participated in
"Enterprise-Educational Complex" pilot program implemented in
April-June 2008. The program was developed by the Republican Union
of Employers of Armenia (RUEA), the Center-Foundation of Independent
Analysis, Productivity and Competitiveness and the International
Labor Organization (ILO), the executive director of the RUEA Gagik
Makarian said at the Enterprise-Educational Complex conference held
in Yerevan on June 24.

In his words, the purpose of the indicated research program
was to contribute to businessmen’s participation in the
school-college-university chain and to help with the solution of
the problem of introducing specialized educational standards and
the determination of terms. One problem which was revealed as a
result of the program’s implementation is that the businessmen are
not yet psychologically prepared to pay to colleges for employees
they need. Besides, the economic activity is concentrated in Yerevan,
which polarizes the labor market and results in high unemployment in
marzes (provinces) and domestic migration of the labor force. On the
other hand, both entrants and students have a vague idea about the
labor market and cannot orientate themselves in choosing a speciality.

Describing the current situation in the labor market, the RUEA chairman
Arsen Ghazarian said that when selecting among graduates of colleges
and universities, the employers give jobs to only 10-15% of them and
then they train the new employees. He considered the efficiency of
businessman-educational system links as one of the most important
tasks of the RUEA. According to him, the RA ministry of labor and
social issues and the RA ministry of educatiion and science have
assisted with the program’s implementation.

The head of the ILO Employer Department Jean-Francois Retournard stated
that cooperation between the ILO and the RUEA has an institutional
character. He expressed confidence that the conference will promote
long-term cooperation between the sides.

The head of the primary and specialized secondary education of the
RA ministry of education and science Artak Aghbalian pointed out that
the Armenian government and the ministry have recently changed their
attitude to specialized secondary education and do not consider it a
"stepchild" of the educational system. The requirements of employers
to this sector of the educational sphere have also changed.

During the conference, other studies of the state sector, research
centers, and donor organizations on employment and specialized
secondary education were presented. The pupils of educational
institutions – participants in the Enterprise-Educational Complex
Cooperation Program made speeches.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress