AUA CCO Hosts Training Through AUA Extension in Kapan
3 min readKAPAN, Armenia — During the week of April 1, American University of Armenia (AUA) Chief Communications Officer Narek Ghazaryan traveled to the AUA Extension Office in Kapan, Syunik region to conduct two professional development sessions and assess needs on the ground.
AUA Extension began operating in Kapan on February 1, 2020. At the time, the Office was located in one of the local schools, using only two classrooms for course delivery. With the gradual expansion of courses offered, a new, separate location for the Office was rented starting in fall 2021. This larger space offered both administrative and teaching space, which enabled it to increase the number of offline courses offered. Moreover, this new office can provide the stable basis for extending the cooperation with the local partners as well as the expansion of the teaching staff available for offline course delivery.
Since its founding, the Kapan Office has diligently served the surrounding community by offering targeted training courses (languages, professional development, exam preparation), initiating partnerships with local and international stakeholders, and delivering high quality programs for local beneficiaries. The Kapan Office has successfully organized two summer schools for teens featuring a variety of educational and recreational activities. The most popular courses offered are General English and English for Kids. In addition to these in-person classes, Kapan residents can also attend different online classes organized by Yerevan or other AUA Extension regional centers, such as Social Media Marketing (SMM), SAT and TOEFL preparation, Business English, Speaking English, Italian, German, SMM Pro, and more. Recently, the Office also launched a speaking club with a native speaker. Regional discounts are also available to forcibly displaced individuals from Artsakh seeking to participate in these educational offerings.
Ghazaryan’s course on Communication Management was split into two, two-hour sessions during the week. Participants were highly engaged throughout the entire duration of the classes, even forgoing a break. Twenty participated in the first session, and fourteen in the second. The course focused on managing relationships in professional settings. Upon completion, participants became versed in using different styles of internal and external communication, such as communication with employees; collaboration within teams, partners, and clients; and conducting various types of business transactions.
“Narek Ghazaryan’s four-day ‘Communication Management’ course held in the Kapan community’s central library was effective and met my expectations. More interesting for me was the manner in which I would precisely communicate my thoughts: how will Narek present the topic of communication management? How would a young lecturer present his material to an attentive audience? Ultimately, what new methods will he apply for optimal reach? All of my concerns were assuaged thanks to Narek’s flexibility, willingness, and directness. We are grateful to American University of Armenia Extension, and we look forward to new programs in the regions,” said Marine Harutyunyan, director of Union of Libraries and Student Clubs NGO.
In addition to hosting the Communication Management course, Ghazaryan, accompanied by the new Kapan Office program coordinator Nare Ghazaryan (BAEC ’20), met with Deputy Head of Community Gor Tadevosyan, who mentioned a number of professional development courses that would draw a large number of participants. Emphasizing the importance of in-person instruction, he noted the need for professional development opportunities in the following areas: business strategy, tourism, grant writing, startup and entrepreneurship, leadership, management, social media, and graphic design/development. As a friend of AUA, he expressed readiness to promote AUA Extension initiatives in Kapan.
“Spending time in Kapan was truly inspiring,” said Ghazaryan. “Facilitating the Communications Management course to two groups of professionals was extremely rewarding. We learned from one another, engaged in meaningful conversations, and, of course, had a wonderful time while upgrading our skills. There is great potential in Kapan, hence we will continue to bring different resources and expertise to Kapan through AUA Extension. I am grateful to all the participants who attended the course, and I look forward to returning to Syunik.”
AUA Extension is the non-degree educational program of the American University of Armenia (AUA), with programs especially geared to meeting the educational needs of individuals from diverse backgrounds and occupations, as well as governments and corporate organizations. Extension courses are intended to expand participants’ knowledge for personal growth and professional development to best suit individual goals and career choices. Thus, Extension helps students reach their highest potential, whether for admission to AUA or for expanding knowledge and skills to become more competitive in the labor market. Additionally, AUA Extension provides testing services on behalf of various standardized tests for college admission and exams for international professional certification.
