Graduation ceremonies for 30 vocational education teachers specializing in tea production and veterinary care were held in Ozurgeti and Khulo on 25 and 26 February 2020, as part of a program designed to bridge the gap between the rural economy’s need for specialized skills and the education system’s ability to supply them. The graduates were among the first to benefit from a pilot VET program implemented since September 2019 in vocational colleges in Guria and the Autonomous Republic of Ajara, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Swiss Government.

The two colleges – Horizonti College in Ozurgeti and Akhali Talga College in Khulo – are currently undergoing accreditation to become formal providers of government-funded training courses for high-demand occupations that rural private businesses need to realize the potential of local agriculture.

“Improving agricultural productivity is key to reducing rural poverty in Georgia,” said UNDP Head, Louisa Vinton. “And investing in human capital is key to improving productivity. Our aim is to help our partners pioneer ways to close crucial skill gaps in promising sectors and plot a trajectory for rural prosperity.”

In Guria, for example, ambitious plans to revive the once-thriving regional tea industry have been stymied by a lack of local employees with relevant skills in tea production and processing. The 21 graduates who received certificates in Ozurgeti will help meet this challenge by training local farmers and producers.

In Khulo, by contrast, livestock production is a mainstay for the local population, but cattle diseases pose a threat to productivity, particularly in the remote mountain areas that lack access to veterinary care. To address this need, the college has so far trained ten assistant veterinarians in diagnosing cattle diseases.

The initiative of the government on vocational education and training programs is the best tool to effectively and timely meet labour market needs," said Tamar Kitiashvili, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport.

“The new model of vocational education and training is designed to help modernize Georgia’s rural economy, creating jobs and boosting incomes, and thus will have a direct impact on rural population,” said Giorgi Khanishvili, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture.

“Switzerland’s experience can help Georgia strengthen its vocational education system, particularly in building effective partnerships between VET providers and the private sector,” noted Beka Tagauri, Senior Programme Officer for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

The college pilots are part of a larger UNDP-SDC program for Vocational Education and Training in Agriculture that runs until 2022, in close partnership with the Government of Georgia, the Georgian Farmers’ Association, vocational colleges, public and private consultancy centres for farmers, universities and rural communities. The program has already provided training and extension services for more than 12,000 rural residents.

Media contact

• Teiko Kandelaki, UNDP in Georgia, +995 599 103525, tinatin.kandelaki@undp.org
• Ekaterine Kvavadze, Embassy of Switzerland in Georgia, +995 599 952 954; eka.kvavadze@eda.admin.ch
• Nana Chinchilakasvili, Ministry of of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia , +995 599 502619, nana.chinchilakashvili@mepa.gov.ge
• Nino Ugrekheildze, Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, +995558217712, nugrekhelidze@mes.gov.ge