Assarian Vocational Training Program resurging at the Lentex Textile Factory

AKHURYAN, Armenia—The Assarian Vocational Training Program has launched a new round of training at the Lentex Textile Factory in the village of Akhuryan just outside of Gyumri, Armenia. Part of the Paros Foundation and the Debi Arach Children’s Center in Gyumri, the Assarian Vocational Training Program has launched a new segment of training classes on sewing for 15 participants, including two women who were forcefully displaced from Artsakh last year. At the end of their training, it is expected that all of the participants will be hired as full-time employees at the Lentex Factory. This new round of training follows the successful 2021 training sponsored through the Assarian Vocational Training Program. Participants then took part in sewing classes at the Lentex Textile Factory headquarters in Gyumri. This training proved to be successful, as all 12 participants were hired full-time following completion of the classes. Today, they are still gainfully employed at Lentex. “The Assarian Vocational Training Program continues its mission of providing real world vocational training for people who want to work,” said Peter Abajian, executive director of The Paros Foundation. “Within two short months, these participants are training and will have secured meaningful employment and a way of supporting their families.” Since the beginning of the Assarian Vocational Training Program, the goal has been to provide young adults with a set of skills and tools to secure employment and help break their family’s cycle of poverty. In 2016, with the support of the Dr. Gary and Linda Assarian Family Foundation, the Debi Arach Children’s Center launched their vocational training program, offering technology-centered courses teaching web design and web programming. Identifying an opportunity to grow the program, in 2019 instruction for cosmetologists, hair stylists, make-up artists and manicurists was added. In 2021, the Hianali Beauty Center was launched as a salon that offers training classes for students, as well as public services. Furthermore, vocational courses are also now offered at Digital Pomegranate and the Lentex Textile Factory. Almost 75-percent of the participants who have been trained through one of these programs are now gainfully employed within their chosen field and are earning an income to support their families. The Dr. Gary and Linda Assarian Family Foundation, whose generous donations underwrite the vocational training programs, has spearheaded this program’s efforts and seen to its continuous growth. In 2019, the program was renamed the Assarian Vocational Training Program in honor of their support. They are dedicated to the mission of empowering Armenians through practical training and finding new ways to grow the program. They are also helping fund the construction of a new housing facility in Gyumri, an extension of the Debi Arach Children’s Center, and a space for vocational training in the garment industry that will train and employ 50 participants a year. Dr. Gary Assarian said, “We are committed to creating a diverse number of opportunities for people. So far, it is uncanny how successful program participants have been. Through vocational training, people are able to have employment opportunities, because they now have a marketable trade. The vocational training covers a vast span of local industries, giving people an opportunity to live free and prosper where they currently reside. Part of our mission is to instill opportunities for local Armenians to be able to earn a living in Armenia and stay in Armenia.” The Paros Foundation was launched in 2006 and has implemented almost $16 million worth of projects in Armenia through its unique model of philanthropy and community partnership. These projects are located throughout the country, with the majority of work focused in Gyumri and in the Tavush and Syunik regions, along the border with Azerbaijan. All administrative expenses are underwritten, allowing 100-percent of donor contributions to be allocated in their entirety to the projects. To support this and other projects of The Paros Foundation, please visit www.parosfoundation.org.

Assarian Vocational Training Program resurging at the Lentex Textile Factory

This story is FREE for you...

Guest Contributor

This story is FREE for you...

Guest Contributor

Related Articles

AWWA announces 2026 International Armenian Elder Care Grant Program recipients

Children’s Day programs support displaced children of Artsakh

The unraveling of Ottoman multiculturalism

Economic life in the Ottoman Empire through the Millet system