The “Apprentice Students on the Path to Mastery” Awareness Meeting was held in Mersin on 12 May 2026 within the scope of the Vocational Education and Training Programme for Employment (VET4JOB-II), funded by the European Union and implemented under the cooperation of the Directorate General for Vocational and Technical Education of the Ministry of National Education and the Confederation of Turkish Tradesmen and Craftsmen (TESK), under the leadership of Expertise France and carried out by Eduser.
The meeting brought together representatives of the Mersin Provincial Directorate of National Education, relevant institutional stakeholders, representatives of tradesmen and craftsmen, business officials, chamber presidents, school administrators, and sector representatives. The programme addressed issues related to improving the quality of apprenticeship training, promoting safe working environments, and strengthening awareness in the fight against child labour.
Opening speeches were delivered by Veysel Sarı, Chairman of the Board of the Mersin Union of Chambers of Tradesmen and Craftsmen (Mersin ESOB), and Halil İbrahim Ulaş, Head of the Vocational and Technical Education Department at the Mersin Provincial Directorate of National Education. In his speech, Halil İbrahim Ulaş emphasized that students enrolled in vocational education centres come to enterprises not to work, but to learn a profession, underlining that apprentice students are first and foremost students. He also highlighted the importance of enterprises acting with this awareness and contributing to the training of the qualified masters of the future.
In his remarks, Veysel Sarı, Chairman of the Board of Mersin ESOB, stated that apprenticeship training is of great importance both for the sustainability of professions and for developing the qualified workforce needed by different sectors.
Following the opening speeches, the program continued with the screening of the VET4JOB-II informative movie. During the meeting, expert Gülcan Eriş, who has carried out significant work in the field of combating child labour, delivered a presentation addressing the key distinctions between apprenticeship training and child labour, the responsibilities of enterprises, and practices aimed at protecting apprentice students within the framework of occupational health and safety.
During the interactive sessions, participants had the opportunity to assess their own practices and exchange views on sector-specific risks. The programme concluded with a general evaluation session following the collection of participants’ feedback and recommendations.
