InternationalThe seeds of hope being planted in Gyumri
A new IT center provides training and welcomes investment
Published: Saturday September 20, 2008
Home of the Gyumri IT Center. Armen Hakobyan / Armenian Reporter.
Gyumri has always been an original city with a unique character. It was known as a city of arts and crafts. It was a characterization and a name full of promise that disappeared with the devastating earthquake of 1988.
Almost 20 years have passed since that disaster, but the consequences of both the severe tremors of the earthquake and the collapse of the Soviet Union and Armenia's independence are evident here - they outline the character of the city which is defined by contradictory extremes. Everything can be seen here, from newly constructed luxury buildings to an Eastern market, covered with a variety of goods displayed on gaudy counters, the latest models of expensive cars and families which have been living in shacks for more than twenty years, a World of Gold trade center with rain-water filling the large pot holes on the adjacent street.
"A chance to make a dream come true"
Leaning on his walking stick, a young man passes by Gyumri's famous "Seven wounds" church and glances at the pigeons for sale in cages. Despite his circumstances, his manner is self-assured; he answers my questions with a smile on his face. He is Hrachik Mnatsakanian, one of the first 17 graduates of Gyumri's IT Center (GITC). When I ask what he had learned in the center, he answered, "Learning at GITC gave me in-depth knowledge and belief in my own abilities. Without having the relative education it gave me the opportunity to become a programmer. I was qualified as an economist, although I was not working in my profession; I was interested in computers and programming. After studying at the GITC I gained in-depth knowledge, which enabled me to find a new job. Currently I work at the Istigate Company as a programmer. It can be said that this center gave me the opportunity to realize one of my dreams."
I warmly shake hands with my interlocutor and keep walking.
176 Varpetats Street
Maybe it is symbolic, but Gyumri's Information Technologies Center, which has given Hrachik the opportunity to realize one his dreams, is located on a street in the historic sector of the city called Varpetats. When I met Avetik Yesayan, co-founder of the center and head of Shirak Technologies and learned from him about the existence of such an educational center in Gyumri, I immediately realized that I had to tell the story of this hope instilling initiative.
176 Varpetats was where the public bath-house used to be. But then came the earthquake, destruction and ruins buried under waste. Later, the Shirak Diocese primacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church obtained the building and renovated it, turning it into an art center under its auspices, for children from socially vulnerable families in Gyumri. For the past three years Gyumri's Information Technologies Center functions on the third floor.
Arman Gasparian, the Center's acting executive director shows me around the educational establishment while explaining its history. "The idea of creating such a center was formed years ago and finally in 2005 the Fund for Armenian Relief, Shirak Technologies and the Incubator Foundation signed a joint contract on the establishment of the center. One of the main aims of the creation of the center was the training of highly skilled professionals for the IT sector, on the assumption that they will find jobs and continue to live in Gyumri. The opportunity to train and have such specialists in IT will induce foreign companies to open branches in our city," Mr. Gasparian explained.
As far as the facilities in the center are concerned, they are quite modest, even though there are three administrative offices, four lecture rooms and one laboratory. Recently the center received considerable additions. With the assistance of FAR, American-Armenian benefactor Araksi Kyurkchian presented 20 iMac computers and four modern servers to the center. This valuable contribution has been transported and cleared through customs with the help of FAR and currently the newly refurbished classroom is awaiting students. As Arman Gasparian noted, the opening of the classroom will take place on September 29, with the participation of the benefactor, Araksi Kyurkchian.
New technologies, new knowledge, new opportunities
During our visit the academic year had not yet begun at the educational center, but we met a number of students in the classrooms. Lilit Zakarian, who graduated from the department of mathematics at the State Pedagogic Institute of Gyumri, told the Armenian Reporter, "As a result of the optimization process in the schools, I did not find work as a teacher. Later I learned about this center and decided to continue my education, branching out a little from my main profession. Our center has two departments - chip design and web technologies. I am a student in the chip or "hardware design" department. Currently I am working on a more affordable version of the testing of Virage Logic company's chips. Four people work in the group and each of them plays his own part. In other words, I study and work at the same time. We obtain more experience by working on real projects. Hopefully this project will continue in the future and Virage Logic will open a branch in Gyumri and our students will have the opportunity to work. In other words, this center is an opportunity for me both in terms of education and future employment."
Another student Armenuhi Arakelian notes that the prospect of future jobs has brought her to the center. "Currently I study electronic engineering programming. Hopefully I will become a good specialist and find employment," she says. Aida Tovmasiann says that she has worked at the geophysics institute for many years, however, she felt the necessity to refresh her computer skills and applied to and was accepted at GITC. "I love this profession and I am expanding my knowledge. In the future, most probably, I will change my workplace," says Aida.
