UNDP Vocational Education and Training (VET) Project, in line with activities aimed at modernization of the VET system in Armenia, extends also its support to the financial capacity building of the VET institutions by development of comprehensive Income Generation (IG) Model highlighting key “start up” considerations for VET colleges to generate additional resources. The Model was developed in late 2009 and approved in 2010 by RoA Ministry of Education and Science as an additional tool to facilitate income generating activities of the VET institutions based on the examples of 12 pilot VET colleges as “good practice cases”. An international expert Jorn Nielsen, with the support of two local experts on public finance and VET system, developed the Model.

IG Model frameworks and principles guide the process of income generation, set the common challenges and way to overcome them, identify important management and governance considerations associated with income generation activities and provide overview of good practices that can be replicated on the national level.

Recently Artashat and Vanadzor State Colleges have received state-of-art laboratory equipment from Italy, to establish two sawing workshops. The equipment was purchased by UNDP “Vocational Education and Training (VET) System” Project in series of its activities aimed at upgrade of the VET institutions’ premises with modern educational laboratory equipment.

UNDP VET Project being actively involved in the sectors’ ongoing reforms, is highly prioritizing the urgent need to acquire practical skills and knowledge for VET students. In light of this, UNDP provides regional multifunctional VET institutions with unique opportunity to possess modern equipment as a primary source of qualitative vocational education and at the same time with a great opportunity to generate extra funds derived from operations of the laboratory equipment.

Recently Yeghegnadzor State College has received a driving class laboratory for the implementation of practical classes right on the premises of the College. The full laboratory consists of 12 items necessary to acquire practical knowledge and skills. This is a unique opportunity for the college to become one of the leading VET institutions in the region and deliver up to date trainings not only to college students, but also to adults through running short-term training courses. “I am very grateful to UNDP for choosing our college as one of the beneficiaries. We hope that we would be able to educate our students according to international standards and provide the region with good and qualified workforce”, says Sargsyan Khachanush, the principal of Yeghegnadzor State College.

The constant changes in the labor market and in society continuously make new demands on the skills and adaptability of individuals. While traditional, time-based approaches to education have met with varying levels of success over the years, it is an ineffective system when the goal is to train individuals to perform specific, job-related skills. Obviously, the time-based educational system used in schools and universities is not appropriate when conducting vocational education and training (VET). A more appropriate approach is competency-based training (CBT) which grounds on Competency-Based Qualification Standards (CBQSs). In a traditional educational system, the unit of progression is time and it is teacher-centered. In a CBT system, the unit of progression is mastery of specific knowledge and skills and is learner-or participant-centered. Two key terms used in competency-based training are: