IT is one of the most ambitious sectors of our industry that supports many positions with high salaries.

However, to my mind, in parallel to this, the most serious issue is the capital market, the work power market, with the highly qualified specialists’ demand.

During the Armenian activities we had over those 10 years that Synopsys is in Armenia we have had 30 % staff increase and we have mainly enlarged our specialist base thanks to the university students, who are our partners. The cooperation with these universities addresses the purpose to prepare specialists for the sector. However IT, and moreover chip design sector has always been in need of highly qualified specialists.

Unfortunately you can’t have highly qualified specialists’ with our universities’ educational programs who will be demanded straightly after graduation. Only 7-8 % of them are hired after graduation. It is only after much research and many years of commitment that those graduates turn into the specialists who are always demanded. The current difficulties related to the professional education and the training of technological resources that are in accordance with the international IT sector standards are associated with huge financial issues. Today the universities may not manage to create chairs, labs – those are supported by the private companies. A tight cooperation should be shaped between the private sector and the universities, otherwise shaping a competitive educational environment will always be a standing issue for the country.

It is a mere crime to possess a gene pool we have now and not to use it. Mechanisms should be developed to disclose the talents of our youth to the maximum in our industrial and political areas, it is at that time that we may be proud that we are a nation not only to survive but we are to pass the path of creation. Mechanisms should be developed; we should overwhelm the purpose transnationally and unanimously. Today all nations envision their future, and I don’t know our nation’s vision, and if I do not know, how should the new generation know? The vision should be shaped jointly and the talents will make the tools. Many countries have a vision, tools but no talents, we have many gifted, we just do not have a vision, and the tools are mainly not comprehensible.

The next main problem is the export of local companies’ goods and services and the drawbacks of stable establishment of those in international markets. Since the impression is, that all the niches are occupied already, it is hard to find a partner.

The phase of self-determination should be passed, later comes the trust and the belief that you are empowered to give solutions to engineering problems that will be put in front of you. The government role is also huge in attracting external markets. The latter should not only create conditions, but also play a locomotive role to bring transnational corporations into Armenia. Indeed the state is also involved into this, has created conditions, however transnational companies are a priority for us. Israel is a bright example; its government has solved serious issues, bringing those large companies to its country and giving guarantees, and those brought finances, a new culture, a new business approach. Our government creates few substructures, but its roles are restricted to this. If we say that IT is our industry priority, then serious steps should be taken and guarantees should be given, this will contribute to the development of the industry all branches, since IT, as a tool, is the driving power that should be used in all industry branches, to modernize and increase the productivity, which will help solve the issue of the external markets. I think the main current challenges available in the sector are related to the market, labor market, deployment market and diverse educational models. The rest are customs, tax, government cooperation issues, minor challenges. If the market and resources’ issues are resolved, the rest will be solved involuntarily.