Development of Soft Skills at Higher Education Institutions of Armenia and Georgia in Compliance with the 21st Century Labour Market Requirements (DeSIRe).

Home FACULTY OF PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES Scientific Research Structure International projects Development of Soft Skills at Higher Education Institutions of Armenia and Georgia in Compliance with the 21st Century Labour Market Requirements (DeSIRe).

The project aims to promote the development of soft skills (SS) in Armenia (ARM) and Georgia (GE) higher education institutions (HEI) in accordance with the requirements of the 21st century labor market, which will help students in career development and employment. Traditionally, the higher education institutions of the above-mentioned countries focus on "hard skills", which is why soft skills are underdeveloped and do not correspond to current educational and labor market trends.

Several initiatives have been developed within the project:

Ten "soft skills" (SS) modules are planned, including Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which will be developed and integrated into undergraduate and graduate programs using tuning methodology. This approach aims to make education more student-oriented and adapted to the needs of the labor market.
The project is based on four main models:
- Train-the-Trainer;
- Co-Creation;
- Micro-Credential Framework;
- Educational Data Mining.

These models are intended for effective project implementation and defined to achieve goals.

Among the expected results and ambitious goals of the project are:

Integrating 5 SS modules into 80 academic programs,
160 course updates,
480 academic and administrative staff training,
Engaging 500 students through MOOC courses;
Establishment of 8 SS laboratories;
Creation of 2 SS manuals.

The specific objectives of the project include revision of institutional policies, enhancement of teaching capacity of academic staff, development of SS modules for formal and non-formal education, and adaptation of methodologies and development of assessments.

The project is in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education), which in turn envisages inclusive and equitable quality ensuring access to education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. It also supports European priorities in enhancing digital education and skills.

Overall, the project aims to equip students with the "hard and soft skills" necessary for today's fast-changing job market. Within the framework of the project, it is important to develop and acquire "soft skills" along with traditional, academic knowledge.

Countries and partners involved in the program:

Georgia
Armenia
Germany
Spain
Finland
Ireland

Partners involved in the program:

DeSiRe consists of 15 academic, professional and non-governmental partners, among which are four European, five Georgian and six Armenian organizations, along with H. Tumanian State University of Vanadzor (VSU), which is the leading partner of this project.

Program partners are:

Attached files

Desire.pdf

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