RA Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Araksia Svajyan attended the official opening of the “IMPROVET - Improving Skills” program implemented in the VET system.

Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Ruben Sargsyan, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Jan Plesinger and Coordinator of the National Office of the Erasmus+ Program in Armenia Lana Karlova also attended the event.

The program is implemented under the EU Erasmus+ program through the joint efforts of the French-Armenian Vocational Education Center, Gyumri State Medical College, SEPR Campus in Lyon, Apro Formazione Training Center in Italy, and HovakimyanLab Dental Laboratory for the benefit of the advancement of vocational education in Armenia.

ESCS Deputy Minister Araksia Svajyan greeted the participants and highlighted the program's impact on vocational education and training, hailing it as the optimal method for enhancing capacities: “I am confident that this program, which is the second Erasmus+ program implemented in the VET system, will spark new initiatives in this field. I attach particular importance to the participation of educational institutions from Armenia, France, and Italy, as well as collaboration within the program's framework. This is an opportunity to get acquainted with the European best practices, which can also contribute to the enhancement of teachers' skills and the revision of the curriculum content.”

The Deputy Minister also addressed VET reforms, emphasizing that innovative methods for organizing vocational education are currently under development. According to her, the National Assembly approved the first reading of the law “On Vocational Education and Training”, which will introduce new regulations in this field, specifically laying out the work-based dual education model within the institutional framework, mapping out institutions, determining the cost of specializations, revising the scholarship policy, etc.

Note that the “IMPROVET - Improving Skills” program is implemented in three directions: the introduction of digital technologies for “Dental Technology”, new approaches to professional orientation using digital tools, and the introduction of the profession of healthcare social worker.