Baku, 20 June 2022 – An event was held to increase capacities of experts working in the career centers of some vocational education centres in Azerbaijan.

The two-day event is organised as part of the “VET for the Future” project funded by the European Union, and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) together with the State Agency on Vocational Education. It aimed to enhance the knowledge and skills of current career centers and strengthen their work capacity.

The event brought together the official sides, representatives of the State Employment Agency and an expert from the Psychology Scientific Research Institute of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The participants discussed educational psychology, working with parents, psychometric tests and their application in career choice – all with the aim to ensure sustainable career services in vocational education.

These activities are based on the Development Strategy of Career Centres, drafted by the project for the first time in the country at the level of vocational education. The document is reviewed by the European Training Foundation and refers to international practices.

The strategy covers key topics about the provision of career support services in the world's leading countries. The strategy includes the career choice work, promotion of vocational education, awareness building activities targeting students and parents, the use of psychometric tests to determine people’s interests and abilities, the establishment and management of the first alumni association in vocational education, also the basics of cooperation between vocational centres and employers, networking and other relevant directions including their implementation mechanisms.

The career centers that will operate based on this document will continuously advise VET students on job opportunities and career prospects relevant to their areas, as well as closely support their professional training to prepare them for the modern work environment.

Career experts who will work in the centers will provide services to people before and during their studies, and after graduation.

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The actions on building career centers are delivered as part of the “VET for the Future: Development of VET Providers’ Excellence in Azerbaijan” project, funded by the EU and implemented by UNDP in partnership with SAVE. The project aims to support the modernisation of VET institutions in Azerbaijan to deliver competence-based training in order to increase the attractiveness and labour market relevance of VET.

Media contact:

For media inquiries, please contact Leyla Gurbanova, Communications and Visibility Specialist for UNDP in Azerbaijan at leyla.gurbanova@undp.org

Gulnara Bayramova, Press and Information Officer at the Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan at gulnara.bayramova@eeas.europa.eu.

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