IT Landscape in Armenia

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The State of IT Education in Armenia

One of the strongest areas of focus in examining the potential for both Public and Private Sector engagement in the IT arena is that of building the requisite human capacity.  It is obvious that during the Former Soviet Union era that Armenia played a dominant role in the area of electronics and automation.  And it is likely this capacity was in the country long before the Soviet era.  However, there is clearly the need to rebuild and upgrade these capabilities with current technical knowledge and skills – the Soviet era having ended nearly 10 years ago.  This will require some near-term jump-starting efforts as well as longer-term curriculum renovation of the more formal University programs.  It is also require retraining those with prior experience in the technical sector who have in the last nearly 10 years, lost their technology edge.  In addition, there is the need to ensure IT’s are built into the education system for those who will be entering the job market.

 

Currently, as a whole, there are 29 institutions in Armenia providing IT education.  They can be broken down as: 6 state owned and 23 private.

They can also be classified into tree groups:

 

 

It is estimated that at present the educational systems in country (including American University) graduates about 400 students in IT per year.  However anecdotal information that surfaced from various sources indicate that as few as 25-50 of these are of real potential; with suitable skills sufficient to be hired directly into an IT job.  With regards to the state-run institutions, the issues of inadequate skill development appear to not only occur at the Academy of Science institutions, but also the state universities and the polytechnic school.

 

These low numbers of graduating students having the needed skills to enter the high tech work environment appear to be a combination of several factors, including:

 

  1. The result of the curriculum not having sufficient hands-on experience

  2. Students leaving Armenia upon graduation

  3. Male students having gotten deferments while in school are upon graduation required to serve two years in the military upon graduation

 

While the state university and polytechnic institutions are public, within Armenia there is also the need for private education institutions.  In the area of formal education the American University of Armenia has just recently added and IT minor to its MBA program, and has started teaching it’s first two classes (Java and database).

Computer programming courses are delivered in about 60% of the institutions.  And considering that 50% of institutions are involved in the development of software products.  High level of expertise of the specialists who work in those institutions, as the instructors are not only people of the theory, but, also apply their knowledge in the real commercial world.  About 40 % of the institutions are teaching User Applications.

The University of Management and Information Technology has already introduced the following subjects: IT Management, IT Marketing and IT Project Management, IT Industry policy and Internet Economy, E-Commerce, E-Business into the curricula.  Only 4 institutions provide in-the-job training services, the cast majority of 14 enterprises deliver trainings in the traditional classrooms.

 

Graduates: 

According to the data obtained from State Engineering University of Armenia and Yerevan State University these institutions have supplied the market with approximately 13,3000 IT Hardware Specialists, Computer Programmers and Computer Scientists/Engineers.

 

Workforce:

 The worrying number of 137 IT institutions, which comprises 70% of the current available employment pool of software instructors, left the country fir overseas between 1995-2000.

 

Communications and Internet Access: 

Around 90% of the institutions have access to the Internet – only 30% from those are represented on the Web.  Half of the institutions are connected to the Web via Dial-Up and virtually no institution uses satellite connection, which means that they have extremely limited possible for utilizing the world Internet resources and in introduction of Distance Learning.

 

Problems

 

§       Facilities:  half of the institutions are insufficiently equipped with computers and other EDP hardware and office equipment.  Many institutions need now, what is called “supporting hand” in the form of grants.

The institutions are in difficult financial situation, mostly private institutions.  This is the result pf low pricing for delivering courses, which interns is dedicated by the low paying capacity of the population.

 

§       Management:

 

 

§       Marketing:

 

The IT Educational institutions have relatively more problems with regard to Management and IT Marketing than the average for all IT sub-sectors.  Part of this problem can be attributed to the low margin of profit and some degree of dependency upon the Ministry of Education.