Gain knowledge to gain employment

Tbilisi City Hall announced that it was opening registration for free English and computer courses on January 15. The project is designed to teach Georgians the English and computer skills essential for modern life. Anyone aged from 23 upwards can register at their nearest municipal office and thus begin to obtain these special skills which will help them gain or improve their employment.

Study centres will be opened in many spots around Tbilisi and offer lessons in English and computers every day except Sunday after working hours. The duration of each lesson is an hour and a half. There is a limit of ten people per class, which will make the process easier for the students.

“The number of people interested in these courses has exceeded our expectations. There were already 2,000 people on the list on the very first day after the announcement. There will be around 40 centres in which two groups a day will take lessons,” Vano Zardiashvili, Project Coordinator, told the media.

Registration for the courses will continue for a fortnight. Those who wish to register can also do so in their regions. Tbilisi City Hall has launched the project to balance the competition in the employment market, and those who successfully finish the courses will have the chance to start work in different sectors. Tbilisi City Hall will create a special database of successful students and ensure their further cooperation with private and Governmental organisations.

“The labour market requires particular skills, among which knowledge of English and computer programmes are essential. As most young people have these skills a false stereotype has developed that only young people are being employed. We want to destroy this stereotype and offer the citizens of Tbilisi special courses for free. Tbilisi City Hall will try to train about 5,000 citizens as part of this project. It’s important that each of us is a lobbyist for these people and helps them find relevant jobs in the future,” Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava stated.

Lela Paliashvili, a journalist, has signed up to perfect her knowledge of English and computers. “I definitely want to obtain skills for further employment,” she told the media. “I have registered for the courses and I am very grateful to City Hall for their support,” another prospective student, Tamar Ivanishvili, added. Every successful student will get a certificate and a chance to start a new life in employment.

Around 50 private companies responded to the initiative of the Tbilisi Mayor about employing people with large families on January 16. Seven people have already been employed under this new project. Mayor Ugulava, observing the paving of Mamasakhlisi Street, said that Tbilisi City Hall has established a project which ensures the employment of at least one member of a large family in the capital. “Employment is the best social project of all. A person should have a job, everything else is secondary. The employed person can then choose how to use his money. Every contractor of City Hall will start interviewing large families from January to ensure further cooperation with them. The State budget of 2010 is definitely oriented on this very issue,” Ugulava stated.

Vakhtang Nadaria is among the seven people already employed by the Gety Company. He couldn’t hide his gratitude for the project. “I have been waiting for this moment for a very long time. I am very happy that the Georgian people are being supported in such a way,” he told the media.