Unprecedented Youth Career Fair in Yerevan Helps Youth Find Jobs

PRESS RELEASE
USAID Pension and Labor Market Reform Project
8 Mher Lazarian
Yerevan 0010 Armenia
Tel: (+374 10) 529 334-6
Email: [email protected]
Website:

UNPRECEDENTED YOUTH CAREER FAIR IN YEREVAN HELPS YOUTH FIND JOBS,
IMPROVE EDUCATION AND SUPPORT ECONOMIC GROWTH

YEREVAN, May 22, 11:00AM – More than 4000 young people are expected to
attend the `Build Your Future Today: Education, Employment, Economy’
youth career fair today in Yerevan. The primary partners of the fair
are the State Employment Service Agency (SESA), USAID Pension and
Labor Market Reform (PALM) Project, and the Youth Career Orientation
Center of the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues.

The youth career fair is unprecedented in its nature. Not only it is
the first time such an event is being organized in Yerevan that caters
to youth with a unique and important message, but it has also been a
catalyst for 10 partners, 7 University Career Centers and more than
100 employers and academic institutions to join together to offer a
day of targeted support to the Armenian youth to think about their
future in terms of education, employment and Armenia’s economy.

The fair offers a great opportunity to young people of all ages to
meet with employers and learn which careers are in demand or will be
highly sought after in the near future. Attendees can talk to academic
institutions to get vocational guidance counseling and find out where
to acquire new skills. In addition, 7 University career centers are
there to offer advice on how to become marketable in labor market and
how to present one’s self professionally to employers. `The fair
carries an important to message to today’s youth to think about their
future now and build it based on good education, vocational guidance,
and labor market demands,’ said SESA Head, Sona Harutyunyan.

Other partners of the youth career fair include Ministry of Education
and Science, American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia, Armenian Chamber
of Commerce and Industry, Employers Union of Armenia, British Council,
DVV International, and Global Developments Fund. `We are delighted to
be part of this fair along other partners,’ said AmCham representative
Ms. Gohar Sargsyan. `This is not only a great opportunity for students
to meet with employers who hire and offer internships, but also a good
chance for employers to explain their hiring needs and market trends
to the new generation.’

`It has been very exciting to participant in preparing for this fair
and thereby show fellow students that there are opportunities out
there that they should use, that there is a lot that they should learn
to be competitive, and that they can find a job themselves based on
their own knowledge and skills,’ said a student from the State
Agrarian University Career Center.

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About PALM: PALM is USAID’s primary project aimed to assist
individuals, households, and communities better manage social risks or
needs, provide support to the vulnerable employed and jobless
individuals (particularly the low-skilled, women, and the disabled),
and give greater attention to countering the effects of the global
economic crisis. USAID PALM project has been providing technical
assistance and support for human and institutional capacity building,
and targets two key social protection areas: pension reform
implementations and labor market interventions.

www.plm.am