This year marks the 20th anniversary of the foundation of the French-Armenian Vocational Education Center, which is one of the cornerstones of cooperation between France and Armenia.

The official ceremony, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Center was held at Komitas Museum-Institute today, which was attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia Anne Louyot, representatives of the government departments and educational institutions, guests.

For the contribution in the field of education and on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the foundation of the French-Armenian Vocational Education Center, the Chairman of the "Ron-Armenia-Education-Exchange" Association Luca Manzaranes was awarded a medal of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia. The medal was handed over by Angelina Hovhannisyan, Head of the Division of Foreign Relations of the ESCS Ministry, expecting further effective activities of the Center for the benefit of the further development of the Armenian-French relations.

The "Ron-Armenia-Education-Exchange” Association represented by Luca Manzanares, who until this year chaired the Board of Trustees of the Center, has been at the origins of the foundation of the Center. Thanks to the efforts of Luca Manzanares and his wife, Armenian Sarah Manzanares, the building of the institution has been completely renovated for 20 years: it is equipped with rich material and technical base brought from France, large investments have been made, and are continuing to introduce a number of specialties and their development in line with contemporary labor market requirements. At the initiative of Sarah Manzanares, over the past 20 years, an opportunity has been created for Armenian students to receive a high-quality education through exchange programs with the French partners.

The event featured a video film about the activities of the Center "A retrospective look at the history of the Center", as well as the success stories of the graduates of the Center. There was also an exhibition of clothes for adults and children, which were modeled and made by the students of the Center.

During the event, memoranda of cooperation were signed with the French-Armenian Vocational Education Center and the employers in the name of the “Carrefour Armenia” Company, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry France, Armenia; and the Hovakimyan Lab, with the objective to organize training and production practices for students. At the end of the event, the teaching and the administrative staff of the Center were awarded certificates of appreciation, and the official ceremony of awarding diplomas was held.

It should be noted that the French-Armenian Vocational Education Center was established within the framework of the agreement on cultural, scientific, and technical cooperation between the governments of France and Armenia, signed in 1995. The founding members of the Center are the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, the municipalities of Yerevan and Lyon, the General Council of Rone, the “Vocational Training Company” (SEPR) of Lyon, and the “Ron-Armenia-Education-Exchange” Association (RAFE). A few years later, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and the “Armenian Alliance” Foundation operating in Switzerland also became members of the Board of Trustees of the Center. The ESCS Ministry has provided continuous support to the Center, contributing to the introduction and development of many specialties.

The French-Armenian Professional Training Center implements primary (handicraft) and secondary vocational education programs in the specialties of "Culinary", "Confectionery Technology", “Sewing Technology", "Hairdressing", "Decorative Makeup" and "Dental Technology" based on basic and secondary education.