Shuttle methodology transfer to Armenian State Employment Agency

Following the success of the roll-out of the Employment and Entrepreneurship Shuttles in Armenia, Action Against Hunger is now supporting the transfer of the Shuttle methodology to the Republic of Armenia State Employment Agency (SEA). The transfer of the methodology is being conducted within the framework of the programme “Economic and Social Participation of vulnerable displaced and local population in the South Caucasus” (EPIC) - implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in cooperation with the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and Action Against Hunger.

Action Against Hunger is assisting the SEA to adapt the methodology to best fit the programmes and activities that it is running so as to support the social and economic inclusion of unemployed people with Armenia. During the inception phase in January of this year, Action Against Hunger visited SEA in Yerevan to see its facilities and meet with its staff to gather information on its programmes, particularly their “Job Club” initiative, and to discuss the needs of the agency. This informed planning on how to integrate the approach into the existing activities of the SEA, thus increasing the chances of success and future adoption.

The plan was for Action Against Hunger staff to then revisit Yerevan in the early Spring but due to the Covid-19 pandemic and movement restrictions this was no longer possible, and the training programme was therefore reconfigured as an online webinar. Between the 21^st May and the 2^nd June 2020, Action Against Hunger organised two sets of trainings for 17 representatives from the SEA. The first was a 2-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop which was then followed by a 3-day Employment Shuttle Methodology Training led by Programme Manager and Shuttle expert, Ms Lela Maisuradze.

The training covered all the different aspects of the Shuttle methodology approach: selection of participants; building of soft skills, coaching and teambuilding; leading group and individual coaching sessions, organisation of job fair events and; brokering with companies. Joining the Action Against Hunger expert were guest speakers from both Georgia and Armenia who shared their experiences and insights of working in the Shuttle programmes. These were the Project Coordinator, Ms Diana Chobanyan, and Employment Shuttle Coach Ms Sona Grigoryan, from the local partner APY and an Employment Shuttle Coach from Georgia, Ms Iveta Rodonaia.

The plan now is that as soon as the Covid-19 situation allows, Action Against Hunger will be supporting the SEA to pilot the Shuttle programme in 2 districts of Yerevan.