Armenia’s French University Students Conduct Internships in France Thanks to AGBU Program

Eleven 4th year students from the French University in Armenia (UFAR) conducted one-month internships at different companies in Lyon, Paris, and Valence, thanks to the support of both AGBU’s France District and Lyon Chapter, as well as the chapter’s former vice chair Jacques Garabedian. The UFAR students embraced enthusiastically the internship experience, which took place from March 25 to April 21, 2013.  

For Gohar Sargsyan, who is pursuing a B.A. degree in marketing, the internship at the telecommunications company Orange in Lyon has given her an understanding of the hierarchical relationships in professional environments. Managers, she says, are “much less distant in France than in Armenia.” She was very attracted to Orange – which has a presence in the Armenian market – and found that it was “innovative and very adapted to the culture of the countries where the group operates.”

Financial management major Lilit Arzoyan is pursuing a career in accounting and interned at Grant Thornton Specialist Advisory Services Department in Paris. The internship, she said, was an exceptional experience that allowed her to put into practice what she learned at UFAR and become “more familiar with the bookkeeping of companies operating in different sectors.”

The partnership between AGBU France and UFAR dates back to 2004, when the AGBU France District – then chaired by Denis Ketchedjian – arranged the first contingent of UFAR interns in Paris. Since then, 73 of the best students have conducted 4- to 6-week internships in Grenoble, Lyon, Paris and Valence, thanks to AGBU’s complete financial support.

This first internship experience for the Armenian students is a true example of professional immersion in the business world, giving them the unique opportunity to observe and understand the organization and working methods of French companies and institutions. The internships are part of the students’ academic curriculum and match the three major fields of study at UFAR: law, management and marketing.

Participants also have the opportunity to practice the French language and culture of everyday life, facilitated by a full itinerary of activities, including those organized by AGBU. Visits were comprised of meetings and outings at the French National Assembly, the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia and the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabagh in Paris, the AGBU Nubarian Library, the Palace of Versailles, the Louvre and the Orsay Museums. The Lyon program included theater performances, concerts and tours.  

Following his visit to France in April, when he took the time to meet with AGBU France leaders and staff, UFAR Rector Jean-Jacques Montois expressed his gratitude to AGBU by praising “the extraordinary welcome given to the students” and “the exemplary daily supervision” of their internship and activities. “Without AGBU’s support and that of the French Armenian communities, it would be difficult to achieve UFAR’s mission of promoting French culture and offering the professional experience that UFAR students need to acquire in order to be Armenia’s valid economic, political and cultural future interlocutors of France.”

UFAR has become a flagship of French-Armenian cooperation since its inception 12 years ago, following an official agreement between France and Armenia. The institution, with its French curriculum, is recognized in both Armenia and Europe for its excellent academic programs. Thanks to its partnerships with Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University and Toulouse 1 Capitole University, UFAR confers Armenian and French national diplomas. To date, the university has more than 1,050 graduates, with a job placement rate of more than 70%.

Since 2007, UFAR students have been receiving AGBU scholarships based on merit and need More than 120 students have benefited from these scholarships, which cover their annual tuition fees entirely. AGBU also funded the renovation and construction of a library at UFAR, inaugurated officially last October during the AGBU General Assembly in Armenia.

AGBU acknowledges gratefully the network of companies and institutions that provide the internships, as well as the Rhône-Alpes Region and the City of Lyon, and the Bullukian Foundation for its financial support.