The European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) team up to organize a media tour to the Jalilabad region of Azerbaijan.  

Implemented as part of the EU-funded “VET for the Future” project in the eve of the career selection period of pupils in Azerbaijan, the visit aims to raise awareness about vocational education centers, as well as to help successful presentation of VET as one of the relevant education choices for youth and adults of all abilities. 

The full-day event brought together around 400 people including the regional executive authority representatives, the high-level officials of the organizing bodies, a number of press representatives from the capital and the region, also youth and teachers from Jalilabad and the private sector heads. 

During the event, the participants visited the private sector company “Woodpecker” specialised in furniture industry and met with students who are now participating in-company trainings organised within the frame of our dual education programme in VET. 

The officials also visited the Jalilabad State Vocational Education Centre, held meetings with the teachers & students, and joined the master classes. The visitors also talked over career prospects for women and men VET graduates in regions and discussed the role of the career center that is soon to be created with the project’s support in this VET establishment with the aim to support with the career prospects of the students.

As part of the event, in partnership with the Small and Medium Business Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, a roundtable is organised dedicated to the public-private partnership. Around 15 private sector companies operating in agriculture, poultry, furniture, textile, and hospitality services discussed about the role of employers in the assessment of students, updating the curriculums, and bringing new financing mechanisms. The companies also highlighted further cooperation opportunities with the education providers through the Board of Trustees soon to be activated by the project in vocational education in the country. 

The aim of these actions is to expand the attractiveness of vocational education institutions and their level of compliance with the demands of the labour market. Furthermore, these advocacy steps are targeted to augment the visibility of vocational education while showing its social and economic importance and further perspectives. 

The media tour is completed with the bilateral meetings. 

This media tour is organised 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.

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• Jalilabad