Abstract:

This paper examines the role of social partnership as a governance mechanism linking education systems and labour market integration in post-conflict contexts, with a focus on Armenia. Following the 2020 war, several vulnerable groups (including demobilized servicemen, individuals with disabilities, and forcibly displaced persons) required targeted reintegration through education and employment pathways.

In response, state-led programs combined vocational education and training (VET), skills development, and employment intermediation through tripartite cooperation among government institutions, employers, and trade unions. The paper analyses these initiatives as a case of education-labour social partnership addressing conflict-induced inequalities.

The main contribution of the study is the development and application of a multidimensional index for evaluating the effectiveness of social partnership. The proposed framework is based on three core dimensions: institutionalization, stakeholder engagement, and outcomes. These dimensions are operationalized through a set of qualitative and quantitative indicators capturing governance structures, participation practices, and education-to-employment results.

The study draws on theories of collaborative governance, social partnership, and education-to-work transitions, conceptualizing partnerships as processes through which actors co-design training pathways, mobilize knowledge, and shape learning outcomes. A qualitative case study approach is employed, based on policy analysis and stakeholder data from key institutions involved in program design and implementation.

The findings indicate that social partnership facilitated the coordinated delivery of training and employment opportunities, while also revealing limitations related to uneven participation, power asymmetries, and tensions between short-term labour market integration and long-term human capital development.

The paper contributes to the field of education policy and governance by proposing an innovative and transferable evaluation tool for education-centred social partnerships in post-conflict and transitional contexts.

Keywords:

Social Partnership, Vocational Education and Training, Labor Market Integration, Stakeholder Engagement, Armenia.