How to bring education and business closer together? The participants of a conference organised by the ETF and the country’s Ministry of Education and Science in Yerevan will try to find best answers to this question on 15 and 16 September.

Why is it important for people in education and business to talk to each other? Milena Corradini, ETF country manager fro Armenia, said closer cooperation between business and education is one of the tools for providing learners with new skills and competences for work.

‘Our research in Armenia shows that one of the biggest challenges identified by the employers is the quality of graduates from vocational education and training (VET) schools and universities,’ said Ms Corradini.

The ETF carried out the Education and Business study in Armenia in 2010 on the request of the European Commission. The study shows that the relations between education and business have received constant attention from the employers in Armenia.

Employers have become better informed about the existing situation at educational institutions and the difficulties these institutions face in terms of financial resources, equipment, didactical material, etc. There are some good examples of cooperation between schools and business:

• companies supply training equipment or provide direct financial assistance, and help organise internships;
• employers sit on final-exam committees in schools, participate in assessments of students and give advise on changes the training process;
• schools give short training courses following direct requests from companies (retraining of the current or prospective staff);
• employers’ organisations provide (e.g., Union of Builders of Armenia) deliver lectures, supervise academic projects, organise counselling for students of relevant trades.

Ms Corradini said that on many occasions Armenian employers emphasized the need of skilled labour force to make companies competitive on the internal and external market.

At a conference organised by the ETF and the country’s Ministry of Education and Science in Yerevan, Armenia, the participants will share their experience and try to find best ways to bring education and business closer together.

This conference will strengthen the capacity of Armenian institutions to further participate in the Torino Process, the ETF’s vocational education and training policy review in the countries surrounding the EU.

The ETF expects that the conference will strengthen links between representatives of education institutions and the world of business, and ultimately will shape the reform of VET. The event will also showcase some of more successful approaches introduced in Poland, Estonia and Austria.