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DEVELOP HUMAN RESOURCES TO SUPPLY IT IN U.S.
Siranuysh Papyan
http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/interview/view/27941
Interview - Friday, 02 November 2012, 14:09
Interview with Ashot Khachatryan, president of Armsoft Company
Mr. Khachatryan, during the meeting of government the prime minister
alarmed the shortage of IT specialists. An annual 15-20 growth is
reported but there is a shortage of labor, there is an instruction
to train specialists. Is the issue of human resources urgent for the
IT sphere?
According to the department of statistics of the Prime Minister's
office, the growth is 10.6%, not 15-20%.
Training is the first thing that comes to one's mind but it will not
resolve the problem. Let's look how the problem of water supply was
solved. Ten years ago we had running water for 2 hours a day. Today
almost everyone has 24 hour running water although the amount of water
supplied to Yerevan has not increased. After installing water meters
the water board has found and replaced all the leaking pipes, users
have replaced all the leaking faucets. If water supplied to Yerevan
increased without cutting losses, we would still have running water
for two hours a day.
The same goes for human resources. If we develop human resources today,
we will supply the IT sphere of the United States, not Armenia.
Hence, the solution should be prevention of brain drain.
This is not the only reason of the shortage of human resources. The
second important reason is the quality of human resources. If we
count how many students study in the IT departments of universities,
we would have more human resources than needed, even with the outflow.
The problem is that the majority of graduates does not have the
required competency and does other jobs. As a result, the major
IT companies are creating their own study departments, and smaller
companies train recruits for a long time.
It is necessary to establish a close cooperation between the
universities and IT companies. The companies must enable their leading
specialists to teach in universities. There must be a serious attitude
to internship of students.
In another interview you mentioned that the government should focus
on human resources in IT, add their number, ensure their education etc.
Yes, but I mentioned it in my second point, in my first point I
mentioned the favorable business climate in the broadest scale. The
broadest includes such factors that determine success of a business
and retention of human resources.
I will give an example. A good programmer who gets 2-3 thousand
dollars a month wants to take his kid to a park. There are no parks.
If he succeeds getting a bench in between cafes, he has to hear
Russian criminal songs from the cafes. And he knows that in Yerevan
green areas are 3% compared with 30-40% in European cities. They
go home. It is impossible to watch TV because they only show soap
operas or an illiterate member of parliament preaching morale. One
can continue this list endlessly. This situation is already taken
for granted and is gradually pushing people out of their country.
Unqualified personnel leave the country to earn their living, while
qualified personnel leave to seek well-being.
I am not commending those who leave but it should be kept in mind that
not everyone struggles. Most people want a quiet and dignified life
and go where they can get it. So our country must give people a chance.
Mr. Khachatryan, does it require political will?
I am a businessman, I know what problems businesses face, what they
need for development, what employees want. I know their emotions,
needs, desires. Frankly speaking, I don't know what the government
should do for it.
You say political will. If it is needed not to accept bribes or not
to cut trees, then yes.
We saw that the authorities will not do it themselves. They need to
be pushed. Now people force them by leaving. I would like them to
stay and push by staying and we already can see the results.
From: Baghdasarian
Siranuysh Papyan
http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/interview/view/27941
Interview - Friday, 02 November 2012, 14:09
Interview with Ashot Khachatryan, president of Armsoft Company
Mr. Khachatryan, during the meeting of government the prime minister
alarmed the shortage of IT specialists. An annual 15-20 growth is
reported but there is a shortage of labor, there is an instruction
to train specialists. Is the issue of human resources urgent for the
IT sphere?
According to the department of statistics of the Prime Minister's
office, the growth is 10.6%, not 15-20%.
Training is the first thing that comes to one's mind but it will not
resolve the problem. Let's look how the problem of water supply was
solved. Ten years ago we had running water for 2 hours a day. Today
almost everyone has 24 hour running water although the amount of water
supplied to Yerevan has not increased. After installing water meters
the water board has found and replaced all the leaking pipes, users
have replaced all the leaking faucets. If water supplied to Yerevan
increased without cutting losses, we would still have running water
for two hours a day.
The same goes for human resources. If we develop human resources today,
we will supply the IT sphere of the United States, not Armenia.
Hence, the solution should be prevention of brain drain.
This is not the only reason of the shortage of human resources. The
second important reason is the quality of human resources. If we
count how many students study in the IT departments of universities,
we would have more human resources than needed, even with the outflow.
The problem is that the majority of graduates does not have the
required competency and does other jobs. As a result, the major
IT companies are creating their own study departments, and smaller
companies train recruits for a long time.
It is necessary to establish a close cooperation between the
universities and IT companies. The companies must enable their leading
specialists to teach in universities. There must be a serious attitude
to internship of students.
In another interview you mentioned that the government should focus
on human resources in IT, add their number, ensure their education etc.
Yes, but I mentioned it in my second point, in my first point I
mentioned the favorable business climate in the broadest scale. The
broadest includes such factors that determine success of a business
and retention of human resources.
I will give an example. A good programmer who gets 2-3 thousand
dollars a month wants to take his kid to a park. There are no parks.
If he succeeds getting a bench in between cafes, he has to hear
Russian criminal songs from the cafes. And he knows that in Yerevan
green areas are 3% compared with 30-40% in European cities. They
go home. It is impossible to watch TV because they only show soap
operas or an illiterate member of parliament preaching morale. One
can continue this list endlessly. This situation is already taken
for granted and is gradually pushing people out of their country.
Unqualified personnel leave the country to earn their living, while
qualified personnel leave to seek well-being.
I am not commending those who leave but it should be kept in mind that
not everyone struggles. Most people want a quiet and dignified life
and go where they can get it. So our country must give people a chance.
Mr. Khachatryan, does it require political will?
I am a businessman, I know what problems businesses face, what they
need for development, what employees want. I know their emotions,
needs, desires. Frankly speaking, I don't know what the government
should do for it.
You say political will. If it is needed not to accept bribes or not
to cut trees, then yes.
We saw that the authorities will not do it themselves. They need to
be pushed. Now people force them by leaving. I would like them to
stay and push by staying and we already can see the results.
From: Baghdasarian