The Armavir Development Centre has implemented a project called Cross-sectoral Cooperation for Inclusive Economic Empowerment within the framework of the EU COVID-19 Solidarity Programme for the Eastern Partnership project, funded by the European Union and supported by People in Need.

Within the framework of the project, forty representatives of the most vulnerable groups affected by the Covid-19 pandemic (people with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, IDPs from Nagorno Karabakh , representatives of national minorities, etc.) participated in licensed short-term professional training courses at the Armavir State Industrial Pedagogical College. These courses provided participants with professional qualifications as cooks, computer operators, accountants and tailors.

Of the forty participants of the program, thirteen have already found jobs. Some of these have been hired by employers, while others run their own businesses. Three participants are continuing their education in vocational educational institutions.

As a result of the project, human-financial assistance was provided to fifteen small and medium enterprises (SMEs) heavily affected by the pandemic. It also enabled fifteen beneficiaries to acquire practical skills through apprenticeships in these businesses. Three participants got jobs in business organisations where they had their apprenticeships. All the other participants looking for jobs have been registered in the Armavir Regional Employment Centre.

On April 14, the project’s closing ceremony took place in Armavir. Representatives from People in Need, Armavir Regional Administration and municipality, the staff of Armavir State Industrial Pedagogical College, students of the courses, and the apprentices and business representatives were present.

During the ceremony, the guests had the opportunity to get acquainted with an exhibition of the students’ works of the courses and hear the success stories of apprentices of small and medium enterprises.

The project coordinator Ani Tovmasyan highlighted the multifaceted cooperation within the framework of the project. This multifaceted cooperation provided simultaneous and targeted support to several vulnerable groups affected by Covid-19 whilst emphasising the stability and continuity of the support provided.