With the financial support of the European Union, in cooperation with the General Directorate of Vocational and Technical Education of the Ministry of National Education (MoNE MTEGM) and the Confederation of Turkish Tradesmen and Craftsmen (TESK), the Communication Campaign is launched by the event held on Thursday, May 26, 2022 at the OSTİM Vocational Training Center for the “Improving the Access to Employment for the Syrian Refugees and Host Communities by Providing High-Quality Apprenticeship and Vocational Training Programme (Vocational Training Programme for Employment-VET4JOB) implemented by Expertise France and EDUSER. Representatives of MoNE General Directorate of Vocational and Technical Education, TESK and international organizations, employers that train apprentices, OSTIM Vocational Training Center’s teachers, students and their families participated to the event.
Vocational Training Programme for Employment (İMEP/VET4JOB) is implemented, which is one of the most comprehensive programmes contributing to the vocational training of non-educated Turkish and Syrian children under Temporary Protection in line with the needs of the labour market through apprenticeship and vocational training. VET4JOB emphasizes the advantages of apprenticeship education as a part of formal education system and supports youth to stay in education and prepare them for registered employment. Thus, it contributes to the training of qualified labour force. The programme aims to raise awareness by focusing on the harms of child labour and the rights of the apprentice students. VET4JOB, being implemented 36 vocational education institutions in 12 cities with the financial support of the European Union, started on 1 January 2020 and will continue until the end of 2023.
The main theme of Communication Campaign for VET4JOB is “On the Path to Mastery: Apprenticeship Training” in order to raise awareness of the public including the families, children and businesses that train apprentice students and to improve its value in the eyes of the society by explaining the advantages of apprenticeship education. The Communication Campaign is planned to be implemented in cooperation with TESK’s local organizations in local provinces and 36 vocational education institutions within the scope of VET4JOB.
During the Kick-off Ceremony of VET4JOB Communication Campaign, Korkut Koçak, the Head of Social Partners and Projects Department of MoNE MTEGM, Atty. Fatma Yasemin Ertekin, the Deputy General Secretary of TESK, Feyhan Evitan Canbay, the Director of Socio-Economic Development Programme of the Delegation of the European Union to Turkey, Tanguy Denieul, Turkey Director of French Development Agency (AFD) addressed opening remarks and Fatma Özdemir Uluç, VET4JOB Team Leader at Expertise France, explained the aim of the VET4JOB Communication Campaign and emphasized the importance of apprenticeship education.
Korkut Koçak, the Head of Social Partners and Projects Department of MoNE MTEGM, spoke on behalf of the General Directorate of Vocational and Technical Education of the Ministry of National Education: “As the Ministry of National Education, we make our plans by considering foreign students while carrying out our routine activities. In this context, we have been working for a long time to solve their problems in the field of education through various projects and to facilitate their transition to registered employment in the labour market by increasing their education and skill levels. We see the apprenticeship training given in our vocational training centres as one of the most effective and inclusive solutions to this problem.”
Fatma Yasemin Ertekin, the Deputy General Secretary of TESK, points out “Vocational Training for Strong Turkey is indispensable in today’s world. Today, the level of vocational training is one of the factors that determine the development levels of the countries. In a scope where change is continuing at a dizzying pace, countries feel the need to take permanent and effective steps towards the future in terms of vocational and technical training. We have no doubt that our country will plunge into the upcoming years as a stronger country with effective vocational education approach and policies that would embrace the future.”
Dr. Fatma Özdemir Uluç, VET4JOB Team Leader, says “Apprenticeship training is an excellent four-year education model that focuses on the child, teaches the theoretical foundations of the occupation under the protection and assurance of the government, gives students the opportunity to learn an occupation in all aspects and thus is a public service, and brings together businesses that assume the responsibility for education. By doing and experiencing, students not only learn an occupation and art with all its subtleties, but also acquire basic life skills. We desire to ensure that schools and businesses, and most of all, students, become ambassadors to promote apprenticeship training and institutions through workshops that support their communication skills and personal development.”
