The Enterprise Incubator Foundation expanded its geography of initiatives related to technological education and employment in Armenia’s regions in December 2022.

The new initiative operates in the framework of the USAID-funded Armenia Workforce Development Activity, and presents a series of visits to the marzes, titled “EIF journey: Armenia Workforce Development Activity”. The goal is to introduce the Activity and its opportunities to the youth nationwide and contribute to the skill development of young people in the marzes in the fields of high tech, agriculture, and hospitality. The initiative also seeks to kick off a dialogue between current and potential Activity participants through the establishment of strong ties.

The visits are organized under the slogan “Dream, Discover, Take Action”. The inaugural one was held on December 10, 2022 at the Gagarin House of Culture of Gegharkunik marz and attended by 80 people. It was implemented in cooperation with the Gagarin Project. The following meetings took place on January 29 and February 26 2023 at the House of Culture of Armavir marz, gathering more than 100 participants and in Aragatsotn marz, in the town of Talin, gathering up to 70 participants. The latest meeting was held in Ararat marz on March 26, with the participation of around 30 young people from the town of Masis.

The Activity team notes that the target audience of these meetings is the population of marzes aged 15 to 29 who are eager to acquire new knowledge and skills in line with the requirements of the modern labor market. Another strong point of motivation for the participants is to get involved in initiatives contributing to the general development of the region.

The meetings had several elements. First, the audience was introduced to the main objectives and focus areas of the Activity. Several success stories were shared so that the potential participants could learn about the real, practical impact of the Activity. Next, discussions followed. The participants of all 4 meetings demonstrated a very proactive approach in the discussions, quickly engaging in the conversation.

One of the attendees, Ani Mkrtchyan (Armavir marz), said:

“I’m happy about any initiative that is aimed at education and development of the youth. Plus, the objective is for us to stay in our hometowns and develop our communities. The EIF journey has really demonstrated that these topics are a priority on the agenda and highlighted the priority fields.”

Another participant, Lena Ghazaryan from Aragatsotn, noted that her main motivation for joining the event was to make a change.

“I think a lot of people need this project. It would be a shame if people in my community did not find out about this opportunity. I also think the professions we discussed are really relevant and can be very helpful,” she said.

This series of events is a continuous initiative as EIF plans to hold a meeting in every marz of the country under the “one month, one marz” principle. Below, we present the timeline for the upcoming visits.

  • April, 2023: Vayots Dzor
  • May, 2023: Tavush
  • June, 2023: Syunik
  • July, 2023: Lori
  • August, 2023: Kotayk
  • September, 2023: Shirak

Armenia Workforce Development Activity is a five-year program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF) and consortium partners including the Armenian National Agrarian University (ANAU) Foundation, Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), and Civitta Armenia.

Throughout its lifetime, the Armenia Workforce Development Activity will provide 10,000 young people with a particular focus on women and people with disabilities with the opportunity to get their skills in line with labor market needs so that they become more competitive and succeed in obtaining better employment. The project will work closely with educational institutions such as vocational, training, higher education institutions, as well as with private sector companies to identify needs and assist in training.