AUA Open Education and HSBC Armenia Hold Job Fair for Young Professionals

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YEREVAN, Armenia – The American University of Armenia (AUA) Open Education, in partnership with HSBC Bank Armenia CJSC (HSBC Armenia), organized a job fair for young professionals in the fields of finance and banking. The event took place on November 19 within the framework of the “Quality Professionals for Quality Jobs” community investment project funded by HSBC Armenia. The project aims at supporting people from socially vulnerable groups to improve their employability.

Through the Banking and Finance Certificate program developed by AUA Open Education, the project has successfully upskilled 86 socially vulnerable young men and women mainly from the cities of Yerevan, Gyumri and Vanadzor. This is an accessible, hands-on and comprehensive knowledge and skills development program particularly designed to increase the employability of people interested in banking and finance. Essentially, the project matches supply and demand by clearly defining the needs of both job seekers and job providers, and building a bridge between those groups through targeted education.  Overall, the AUA-HSBC joint project will contribute to creating a quality workforce of employable young professionals.

Opening the event was AUA Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Brian Ellison who underscored the importance of the HSBC-AUA cooperation in this project placing particular emphasis on the provision of quality education in the field of finance and banking as one of the driving forces for this important sphere for Armenia. Speaking on behalf of HSBC Armenia, CEO Irina Seynalyan weighed in on the Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy while underscoring the importance of partnering with an established and reputable institution like AUA in reaching out to regional communities. 

The recent graduates of the Banking and Finance Certificate program participated in the job fair, where they met employers from various branches of HSBC and 13 other leading organizations, and had the opportunity to introduce themselves to potential employers and share with them their background and experience. 

Finca UCO, one of the participating organizations of the event, stated “We are very pleased for the cooperation opportunity with the AUA Open Education. We are happy to have AUA Open Education as our partner organization, especially because we share a common value of supporting young people from the regions of Armenia to receive quality continuous education. This, in its turn, helps those young professionals find their place in the job market”. 

In the second half of the event, the graduates of the Open Education certificate program in banking and finance, along with a number of AUA degree students had the opportunity to participate in on-the-spot interviews with the 14 organizations in the job fair. The active interviews with potential employers and established tangible contacts provided the participants with useful employment information and a positive experience on their career paths. For participants on both sides, this was a first job fair experience which some described as “speed dating” attesting that this was one of the most effective job-matching approaches they had experienced. 

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.