Through funding from ArmeniaTools4Schools, the Berd Vocational State School in the Tavush region in Armenia received $25,000 in tools, equipment and supplies from December 2018 through April 2019. This support re-establishes a welding department at the school, re-supplied the electrical department and doubled the equipment in the sewing and tailoring department.
Founded in 1972, the Berd Craftsman State School was a top vocational education and training institution with functioning workshops and laboratories that provided training in many fields. Tuition is free at the school and the average age of students ranges from 16 to 20 years old. It is the only vocational school in the Berd region; its graduates work in the 16 villages surrounding the town of Berd. After the transition to a market-based economy and increasing budget costs to the government because of the war, funding to the school declined and some departments became non-operational.
The equipment comes at a key time when enrollment at the school declined 33 percent from 2013 to 2018. Principal Anna Avalyan explained, “We have good instructors to teach welding. We just don’t have the tools and equipment to teach that trade.” The new shipment of tools restores the welding department at the school. ArmeniaTools4schools is a North Carolina non-profit charitable organization dedicated to supporting vocational schools in Armenia. George Bournazian, President of ArmeniaTools4Schools in Raleigh, North Carolina said, “We’re proud to be helping the Berd Region rebuild, and it starts with empowering the students by giving them the tools and equipment to start their professional careers. We look forward to continuing this program with more regions throughout Armenia.”
Knight Electronics in Dallas, Texas worked with ArmeniaTools4Schools to provide the equipment, tools and supplies at substantially reduced prices for charitable and educational purposes through their Knight Educational Products Division. “I have known George Bournazian for 15 years, and when he came to us with this plan to provide support to Armenian vocational schools, we were ready to support him and the next generation of Armenian trade professionals,” said John Knight, President of Knight Electronics.
This effort is in part, to help rebuild economic infrastructure and strengthen the social institutions in the Berd region.
This article is a press release submitted to the Armenian Weekly and has been published to our community news section as a courtesy. If your organization has news it would like to submit to the paper for consideration, please email us at editor@armenianweekly.com. Please note that this service is reserved for organizations that engage in not-for-profit or humanitarian work in the Armenian community. Publication is not guaranteed.
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