Armenia’s Hye Tech Kids

Armenia’s Hye Tech Kids –

In Armenia, the unemployment rate is currently 18.5%. In 2014, 30% of the population lived below the poverty line. With the IT sector in Armenia booming (it’s growing 22% annually) there are more and more job opportunities available. So why is the unemployment rate so high? IT is also the highest paying sector in the country. So why do so many people live in poverty?

The current problem is that there are not enough qualified people in Armenia to fill all of these jobs. If we invest in their education, we can train the next generation of Armenians to be extremely competent IT professionals that will be able to stay gainfully employed in Armenia. We will be able to ensure that more Armenians have jobs and a higher standard of living. ONEArmenia is partnering with the Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE), to ensure that students all over Armenia have the opportunity and tools to develop the skills they need to enter the workforce as highly competent and engaged employees. Since 2008 UITE has installed 97 of these laboratories in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, and they have proven to be extremely successful with with 500 graduates to date, 70% of whom are now working, or continuing their education in the IT field. Our goal of $57,882 will allow us to build engineering labs in 5 public schools in Armenian towns and villages, reaching a total of 1,841 students per year. It will cover the costs of equipment, trainers’ salaries and will enable UITE to send students to different programs outside of their villages.

This is the largest amount we have ever crowdfunded for and, as always, we will track every dollar spent to ensure complete transparency. With your support we can reach our goal to provide Armenia’s youth the tools they need to succeed.

 Armenia’s Information Technology sector is growing at 22% annually, faster than any other sector in the country. IT has a very good chance of shaping Armenia’s future socially and economically, but in order for that to happen we need to prepare for the future now. The education system in Armenia is simply not providing enough opportunities for students to study Computer Sciences. The result is that we have an entire population of bright, eager Armenians who could excel in IT, but who may never be exposed to it. As the world shifts to knowledge-based economies, it’s not enough to simply have resources or labor to produce products, we need to have an educated population that is consistently innovating.

Armenia has a willing population and the innovative spirit- now we just need the education. It takes $8,770 to build, equip and prepare ONE Armath lab which will serve an average of 368 students every year. We want to build five. In Armenia, the average salary is $400 a month, but as IT is the highest paying sector in the country, Armenians can make anywhere from $1000 to several thousand dollars a month. With 3000 vacancies in the sector, there is no reason that 30% of the population in Armenia are living below the poverty line. There is so much untapped potential. And YOU have the ability to unleash it. Let’s get started.