More than 300 people forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh will have a chance to learn new IT profession in Armenia for free

Within the framework of the new initiative of the Armenian Code Academy educational platform (ACA), more than 300 people forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh will have the opportunity to learn a new IT profession for free: programming languages, design, data analysis, etc.

ACA executive director Anahit Sargsyan told reporters that at the end of September, the platform had allocated 50 scholarships for forcibly displaced compatriots to give them the opportunity to learn a new profession and find a job in the IT sector. However, it quickly became clear that 50 is too little: in just a few days, more than 200 people applied to the company for scholarships and training. In addition, at that time it was decided to turn to colleagues from other companies so that they also help to finance the training of even more people.

"If we give our compatriots a good education, it will be easier for them to enter the market, start working, and earn their own income. It will open up new opportunities for them, help them socialize and help them get out of a stressful situation faster. On the other hand, this is a help to the state, because a certain number of people will stand up faster," said Sargsyan.

What can be learned and how up-to-date is it?

Within the framework of the project, those forcibly displaced from Artsakh will be able to learn programming languages, testing (QA), digital marketing, various fields of design and much more at ACA. The main feature of the training is that it will be possible to learn a new profession in just a few months, which is quite in demand today.

ACA founding director Narek Aslikyan, answering NEWS.am Tech's question about the demand for these professions amid the ongoing crisis in the IT sector, said that these are professions that people will be able to work with not only in Armenia, but also online for companies anywhere in the world. Moreover, according to him, the situation in the IT sector is already improving, and there are no more large-scale layoffs like in previous years and months.

The program is open to all, there are no age restrictions, but it will be necessary to pass some exams, as all prospective students of the platform do, to determine whether applicants have the basic knowledge and skills to study their chosen field. Nine companies have already joined the initiative and educational foundations, but their number may increase in the near future. Negotiations are underway with some of them.

A new future for the compatriots of Artsakh

The Armenian educational institution will finance the studies of 50 forcibly people from Nagorno-Karabakh. Armine Haroyan, executive director of the foundation's Armenian branch, told NEWS.am Tech that the foundation initially provides scholarships to students of state universities who meet certain academic requirements. But when they learned about the ACA initiative, they immediately decided to join it.

At the moment, the institution finances the education of 1500 students, 100 of which are from Artsakh. In total, since its establishment, the Armenian educational institution has provided 5,876 scholarships, 87% of whose recipients are now working in their profession in Armenia.

PMI Armenia is one of the companies that joined the initiative. Vahe Danielyan, the representative of the company, stated in a conversation with journalists that in a difficult situation for the country, the easiest thing is to sit back and do nothing, relying only on the state. However, the business has chosen another way. Within the framework of cooperation between business, society and the state, it is planned to create a new future for the country and compatriots forcibly displaced from Artsakh. According to him, they should have a new future, and not only somewhere, but in our country.

Tigran Barseghyan from Easy Pay, in turn, mentioned that when the forcibly displaced people from Artsakh started coming to Armenia, the management of the company started thinking about what can be done for them. They came to the conclusion that it would be most effective to invest in education, because that is what allows to create a literate, patriotic society, which is now more than necessary for the country. That is why it was decided to join this initiative.

Mane Diloyan from Krisp also said that their company considered various programs to help our compatriots, but since most of them were solving domestic problems, they wanted to invest in a program that could have a long-term impact. Interestingly, some of the money allocated by Krisp to this project was donated by the company's employees.

In her turn, Marusya Lezhneva from Yandex mentioned that people who moved from Artsakh to Armenia are under a lot of stress, and it is probably very difficult for many of them to find a job right away. However, the education they receive through this initiative can help them find a new environment, give them a chance to start their lives anew and become better settled. Lezhneva also said that Yandex invests a lot of money in the field of education in the countries where it plans to work and develop, and Armenia is, of course, among such countries.

Yevgenya Teryan from Lsaran Foundation, in her turn, mentioned that the foundation was founded in 2015 in Moscow, and its mission is to unite the Armenian diaspora through educational projects. When she moved to Armenia, it became obvious that the foundation has a lot of work to do here as well. In addition, after the events in Artsakh, it was decided to completely change the concept and help the people of Artsakh to integrate with Armenia.

"I have experience as a refugee, I know what it means when you lose everything; start living in a new place, having nothing at all. I faced it after 1988. Therefore, it was clear to us what exactly needs to be done," she said.