On April 1, 2021, within the cooperation framework of “The Private Sector Development and Technical Vocational Education and Training in South Caucasus” (PSD TVET) Program implemented by the Vine and Wine Foundation of Armenia and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Agricultural College of the Armenian National Agrarian University and winemaking companies signed a number of Memoranda, according to which the piloting of the dual education system will continue in Armenian colleges.

Within the framework of the Memoranda, according to the developed and piloted dual training methodology, the students of the College will acquire practical skills in parallel with theoretical training at the companies of “Armenia Wine” factory LLC, “Proshyan Cognac Factory” LLC, “Vinnovation” LLC, “Tierras de Armenia” CJSC, “Yerevan Cognac Factory” CJSC, “Wineworks” CJSC, “Yerevan Ararat Cognac-Wine-Vodka Combinat” OJSC.

The Memoranda of Understanding are aimed at promoting sustainable cooperation between the educational and private sectors in the field of winemaking. They define the process of conducting bilateral activities by applying initial and secondary vocational education programs to train mid-level specialists, who meet the requirements of the sector and labor market.

Zaruhi Muradyan, the Director of the Vine and Wine Foundation of Armenia, Vardan Urutyan, the Rector of the Armenian National Agrarian University, Aram Babayan, the Team Leader of the “The Private Sector Development and Technical Vocational Education and Training in South Caucasus” (PSD TVET) Program in Armenia implemented by GIZ, and Armine Poghosyan, the Head of the Division of Policy-Making and Strategy Development of Vocational Education and Training of the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports delivered welcome speeches during the event.

Within the framework of cooperation between the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports and GIZ, the German dual system has been piloted in Armenian VET institutions since 2017, which is focused on the concept of the work-based process.

The PSD TVET Program, implemented by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), operates in three countries of the South Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

In Armenia, together with its partner Ministries, the Program, supports the sectors of tourism, winemaking, IT/engineering, as well as introduction of the dual VET system in Armenian VET institutions, with a special focus on the regional development.