Armenia to introduce certification of Rescue Service employees

YEREVAN, April 7. /ARKA/. Armenian National Assembly’s Committee on Defense and Security Issues approved today a scheme, designed to introduce certification of employees of the Rescue Service, which is a unit of the country’s Interior Ministry.

Deputy Interior Minister Arpine Sargsyan said the certification has two goals: to test the compliance of employees with the positions they hold, and to raise the pay of those who will pass the exam.

According to her, this will increase social guarantees for employees and ensure that the Rescue Service employs only qualified personnel.

Sargsyan noted that all officials of the Rescue Service will have to pass the certification exam, except for the rescuers serving in the State Academy of Crisis Management.

"Rescue Service employees will have three years to pass the certification and if they succeed their wages will rise. They will be provided with three attempts to pass the certification within three years, and they will also have a retraining course before taking the exam," she said.

Sargsyan said that those employees who fail the certification will be dismissed. She pointed out that employees who pass certification will have to pass it again in a year to continue receiving extra payments. If the employee does not take part or fails to pass a second certification, then 3 years after the first certification he/she will stop receiving additional payment.

She specified that additional payment is almost double the size of salary. According to the deputy minister, this will allow for proper evaluation of the Rescue Service’s performance and make it more attractive. She noted that the Rescue Service has currently 3,500 employees.

"The certification will consist of several phases: examining the physical capabilities, a medical check up, professional testing, and an additional interview for management positions and an IQ-test. The certification is to be introduced starting May 1 of this year," she said. -0-