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]
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