As part of the MAVETA project, a delegation headed by Ursula Läubli, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Switzerland in Armenia and Deputy Regional Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in the South Caucasus, visited a number of project partner institutions and beneficiaries in Syunik. The delegation also included representatives of MAVETA’s implementing partners, GIZ Armenia and the Strategic Development Agency (SDA) NGO, who joined the visit to review the project’s progress, achievements and impact on dual vocational education and training (VET).
The visit began at The Ranch, where Mkrtich Ayvazyan, Chairman of the Strategic Development Agency NGO, welcomed the delegation. The guests toured the facilities, met apprentices pursuing veterinary medicine, and learned more about their training and practical learning experience. The visit also provided an opportunity to reflect on the longstanding partnership between SDA and SDC, with Mr. Ayvazyan highlighting key milestones, areas of cooperation and achievements over the years.
At Goris Multifunctional State College, the delegation met Director Armine Kolyan and Dual Education Consultant Hasmik Khachunts. Discussions covered dual education achievements and challenges, growing interest in agricultural professions, particularly among young women, and progress on the college’s new building.
The next stop was a family-run livestock and horticultural farm, where the delegation met Farm Management apprentices and the farming family. Discussions explored the realities of agricultural work, farm management challenges and the difficulties facing Syunik’s livestock sector.
The final stop was the “Elola” dairy production facility, where the delegation explored the production process and met apprentices specialising in milk and dairy production. Discussions highlighted the value of workplace learning and the professional skills required by the industry.
The delegation also met Martun Minasyan, one of MAVETA’s success stories, who joined Elola as an employee before graduating from college. His experience demonstrates how dual education can create tangible pathways from vocational training to employment.
Throughout the visit, one message stood out clearly: when education is closely connected to the world of work, young people gain more than professional knowledge.
The MAVETA project is financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and the Government of Armenia.
The project’s implementing partners are the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and Strategic Development Agency NGO, the School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH-HAFL).