On 9 November 2026, a Child Labour Prevention (CLP) Information Meeting was held in İzmir under the Vocational Education and Training Programme for Employment (VET4JOB-II), funded by the European Union and implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of National Education and the Confederation of Turkish Tradesmen and Craftsmen (TESK). The meeting aimed to strengthen efforts to combat child labour and promote safe apprenticeship training practices.
The opening remarks were delivered by Abdullah Kotay, Branch Manager of the İzmir Provincial Directorate of National Education, and Necdet Heppekcan, Vice President of the İzmir Union of Chambers of Tradesmen and Craftsmen (İESOB).
In his remarks, Abdullah Kotay highlighted İzmir’s potential in vocational education and emphasised the importance of safeguarding every apprentice student’s right to education and ensuring that they receive training in a safe learning environment. He also underlined the importance of strengthening cooperation between schools and enterprises to improve the quality of vocational education and protect apprentice students.
Necdet Heppekcan focused on the role of the master-apprentice relationship in transferring vocational skills and highlighted the responsibility of tradesmen and craftsmen in supporting the development of apprentice students. He also stressed the importance of promoting a culture of workplace safety and encouraging all vocational education stakeholders to act with a shared sense of responsibility.
During the meeting, expert Gülcan Eriş provided information on protecting apprentice students from the risks of child labour, promoting safe apprenticeship training environments and identifying potential risks at an early stage. She also highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation among Vocational Training Centres (VTCs), enterprises and relevant stakeholders.
Through VET4JOB-II, efforts aim to safeguard apprentice students’ right to education, enable them to develop their vocational skills in safe environments, and strengthen institutional cooperation at local level in the fight against child labour.
