Varduhi Harutyunyan: “We help young mothers to find their place in the labor market”

One of WomenNet.am’s previous releases about BusyMom’s starting meeting was of great interest among young mothers. We decided to talk with the co-founder of the Center, sociologist Varduhi Harutyunyan in order to present the initiative in more detail.

In her word, the center is still in the stage of formation, but she is convinced that it will succeed, as this is a project born out of her own experience and difficulties. “I have two children and it turned out that after having my firstborn, I faced a serious problem with finding a job. For a long time I was looking for a job, because my knowledge was outdated, the child’s care required a lot of time and so on. After a long struggle I found a job, and my struggle was that in parallel with this process, I was also busy with my work, refreshing my knowledge. The work I found was related to managing human resources and it more clearly revealed the problem that exists in our society, after the maternity, it is difficult for women to come back or find their place in the labor market, “she says.

According to Varduhi, after becoming employed, it became clear that thousands of women are faced with the same problem, becoming  uncompetitive in the Armenian labor market. In the following years, after many trainings, she  has slowly come to the idea that mothers need a center where they will get practical knowledge, at the same time not considering also the issue of who will take care of the child. And this, according to our interlocutor, is a primary issue that is a serious obstacle for many women.

BusyMom Center offers one in two, a unified concept: while the mother participates in the training, the caregiver and the specialists will take care of her baby in the next room  . In response to our observation this format seems to be an innovative approach to creating opportunities for young mothers, Varduhi Harutyunyan says that they are guided by the principle of utility, to what extent the idea is useful to the public. “It is important for me to be useful and not just solve the problem of earning money. I have gone through the difficulties we try to help get rid of, and when people do something based on their own experience, the emphasis is right.”

She says the initiative to open the center is theirs, they do not have any financial support, so they are trying to make the Center’s activity possible. “It’s very difficult, but we have to try. This is not a purely business but an important social project. The courses are still free, they will be charged later, but it will be very affordable, which everyone will make sure by comparing with other training centers.

The first training-meeting of the “Working Moms” was with MP Mane Tandilyan, which was referred to by  WomenNet.am. According to Varduhi Harutyunyan, paid trainings, one-day or long-term (1-1.5 months), may start in May.

As to the question of how the center will support the process of finding a job, and maybe collaborating with employment centers, our interlocutor mentions that there is a preliminary agreement and cooperation with a number of major Armenian companies that will keep in touch with the center be able to evaluate the personnel resource. That is, mothers will also have the opportunity to find a job, although the center does not have such a primary task: the problem is considered in a more global and long-term context.

In the near future, the center will hold accounting, PR and HR management courses, as well as business English and computer skills. And the trainers, according to the center’s co-founder, will be among the best, it’s their principle to let women deal with real professionals.

Full text in Armenian