Vocational education and training (VET) reform has been at the top of the reform agenda in Georgia for several months. The government authorities perceive reforming VET as a solution to a range of interconnected challenges the country faces, such as labor market mismatches, the “over-education” trap, high unemployment, as well as poverty rates.

Laura Manukyan from Yerevan, Armenia, recently joined the ISET-PI team as a research assistant at ISET-PI’s Social Policy Research Center (SPRC).

Resident faculty participated in ISET's Ongoing Professional Development Pedagogical Course. This year’s course followed on from the 2015 program, which consisted of consultations, practical sessions, and feedback on teaching methods, as well as discussions relating to the participants' own professional experiences.

Along with a recent interview by a Japanese journalist on regional economics and the attendance of a Japanese student in the Class of 2018, ISET is broadening its Japanese experience with a visit to Tokyo.

Facilitating cooperation among Georgia’s smallholders is one of the main focuses of the ENPARD project, of which ISET is a (small) part. ENPARD has been active in Georgia since 2013, and its work has been extensive and its efforts invaluable. An evaluation effort coordinated by the ISET Policy Institute has uncovered some interesting facts and figures from the comparative analysis between 2014 and 2015.