Armenia’s IT Sector Registers 25% Annual Growth

YEREVAN (Tert.am) — Regardless of the economic situation in Armenia, the IT sector continues developing at the same rate, the major reason is the sector’s export potential, Karen Vardanian, Executive Director of the Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE), told reporters on Wednesday.

“The IT sector registers an annual growth of up to 25%,” Mr Vardanian said. Highly skilled IT engineers are in great demand throughout the world. According to him, 2 million vacancies are available in IT companies throughout the world now, with this number to rise up to 3 million by 2018.

“No matter how many specialists are trained in Armenia, all of them will find jobs. However, university curricula are not in conformity with present-day requirements to accomplish this task,” Mr Vardanian said.

Up to 75% of graduates have to be retrained by IT companies. “With such an approach we cannot meet international requirements. It means the education sector needs new approaches,” Mr Vardanian said.

Development of engineering education in Armenia requires creation of engineering laboratories in all Armenian schools.

“We need to elaborate programs that would enable IT companies to work in Armenia’s regions. This requires reduction of income taxes for the IT companies working in the country borderline regions, which would prove to be stimulus to the IT companies working in Yerevan and they would open their branches in Armenia’s regions,” Mr Vardanyan said.

About 90 engineering laboratories are operating throughout Armenia now, with 130 to 140 to be opened.

“We have our own formula for making Armenia a high-tech country: being the severest critic of the government and, on the other hand, its most reliable partner.”