On December 5-6, within the framework of the project “Modernizing Vocational Education and Training in Agriculture in Armenia” (MAVETA), Strategic Development Agency (SDA) NGO organized the regular annual meeting of the Stakeholder Dialogue Platform of VET donor organizations.
The MAVETA project is funded by a broad coalition of international and local organizations led by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and co-funded by the Austrian Development Agency, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Government of Armenia, the Swiss Church Aid (HEKS/EPER), and the Izmirlian Foundation/Vanand Agro CJSC.
The project’s implementing partners are the GIZ and HEKS/EPER with the involvement of the Strategic Development Agency (SDA) NGO and the School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (HAFL).
The aim of the meeting was to discuss the actions aiming to promote the vocational education and training in Armenia.
The meeting was attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport (MoESCS), the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the Swiss Cooperation Office in Armenia (SDC), UNDP and other local and international institutions.
The conference was opened by the welcoming speeches, delivered by Mr. Mkrtich Ayvazyan, the chairman of Strategic Development Agency NGO, Mr. Werner Thut, the Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Switzerland in Armenia and equally responsible for Switzerland’s Development Cooperation in Armenia, and Mrs. Armenuhi Poghosyan, the Head of the Department for Preliminary (craftsmanship) and Vocational Education and Training of the MoESCS.
Mr. Ayvazyan in his speech thanked the participants for being present and emphasized the importance of the Platform meetings.
Mr. Thut in his speech, stressed that for a successful reform of professional education in general, including agriculture, a close cooperation between state institutions, a broad array of non-state actors active in the sphere of economy, and the private sector with its thousands of small, medium, and large enterprises, would be absolutely key. “If the stakeholders fail to build and permanently maintain this joint alliance, the entire reform very likely would remain unfinished business at best”, -said Mr. Thut.
He also referred to the need for support programs for people forcibly displaced from Nagorno Karabakh. “In October, we have launched an internal study on how to support the displaced population. We want to support the government in its efforts to offer these people a decent future life in Armenia”,- noted Mr. Thut.
Mr. Thut was followed by the speech of Mrs. Armenuhi Poghosyan, the Head of the Department of Primary (Vocational) and Secondary Vocational Education of the RA MoESCS, who presented the legislative reforms in the field of Vocational Education and Training.
During the meeting, the tools aimed at increasing the visibility and promotion of the VET sector implemented by the RA MoESCS and the communication strategy of the MAVETA project were presented.
The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the necessary actions for the VET sector promotion, to develop the unique promotion approach and the action plan, defining the potential contribution of each stakeholder.
