3rd Apprentice Students’ Forum on Inclusive Solutions Created for Quality Apprenticeship Training
The 3rd Apprentice Student Forum within the scope of the “Improving the Employment Prospects for the Syrian Refugees and Host Communities by Providing High-Quality VET and Apprenticeship in Türkiye” Programme (Vocational Training Programme for Employment-VET4JOB)” was held in Antalya on 9-11 October 2023.The opening speeches of the 3rd Forum, which was held with the participation of leader students and teachers from 36 vocational education institutions within the scope of IMEP and representatives of the Union of Chambers of Tradesmen and Craftsmen (ESOB) in 12 provinces, were delivered by Mr Ali Karagöz, Director General of Vocational and Technical Education of the Ministry of National Education and Mr Xavier Cousquer, Director of the Department of Peace, Stability and Security of Expertise France.
VET4JOB is conducted by Expertise France and EDUSER in cooperation with the General Directorate of Vocational and Technical Training of the Ministry of National Education (MEB -MTEGM) and the Confederation of Turkish Tradesmen and Craftsmen (TESK) and funded by the European Union Facility for Refugees in Türkiye (FRiT).
Forums: Voice of the Apprentice Students
Apprentice student Forums one of the flagship events of VET4JOB Programme aims to address the opportunities and bottlenecks of apprenticeship training from the perspective of apprentice students, to support these students to carry out participatory processes regarding the education system they are involved and to enable them to make their voices heard. With the student-to-student approach, developing interaction between youth, reinforcing them and creating a space for them to improve their leadership skills are also included in the objectives of the apprentice student Forums. In addition, the Forums are aimed to serve as a platform for jointly generating ideas on common issues, enabling students to advocate for themselves, increasing the opportunities for dialogue, and introducing apprenticeship education by these students.
The apprentice student Forums are also planned in such a way as to draw the attention of the public and relevant actors to apprenticeship training. The Forums are held with the participation of leader teachers and leader students from each of the 36 vocational education institutions in 12 provinces within the scope of IMEP VET4JOB.
Student Forums to Empower Apprentice Students
The apprentice students who attended the 1st Apprentice Student Forum, which was held on the digital platform specifically developed due to the pandemic conditions on 21-22 October 2021, discussed the difficulties and opportunities in the educational processes, examined the basic principles of dispute management and communication with expert trainers, participated in the entertaining activities to complete the given tasks and developed an action plan for the future.
The 2nd Forum, which was held on 8-10 June 2022, has become the voice of more than 10 thousand apprentice students. In the preparation processes of the 2nd Apprentice Student Forum, the leader students, along with the leader teachers, developed solution offers to the problems identified in the first Forum by establishing a dialogue with a total of 11.238 students in their schools. The students ensured the participation of business owners, sector experts, teachers and administrators as well as students in the preparatory meetings they held. The leader apprentice students rediscussed their solution offers they have developed as a result of the studies they carried out within the framework of the questions “What kind of solutions can be developed for the difficulties experienced at school and at workplace?”, “What kind of solutions can be developed to overcome the difficulties experienced in social life at school and at workplace?” on a common platform in the 2nd Apprentice Student Forum. During the closing event of the 2nd Apprentice Student Forum, four students representing the students set on the same table with the decision makers. The representative students shared the prepared Forum Statement with influential messages and with this statement, they expressed their solution proposals to the problems identified for improvement of apprenticeship education in Türkiye, what the apprentice students should do to achieve results and their expectations from the decision makers. Thus, they have invited all actors of apprenticeship education in Türkiye to take steps together to write a new success story.
The implementation of the 2nd Apprentice Student Forum before the 12 June World Anti-Child Labour Day had a special meaning. VET4JOB carries out its activities with a perspective that focuses on anti-child labour and acts for the best interest of the child, contributes to anti-child labour by offering a qualified training and career option to youth by highlighting the apprenticeship education under the protection and supervision of the state for youth who are deprived of education and have to tend towards child labour.
For the third Forum, students have conducted stakeholder analysis to address their problems. Prior to the activity they have paid visits and have discussions with the relevant stakeholders to hear the other parties view and make their voices heard. They compiled inclusive concrete proposals for the implementation of their demands. During the 3rd Forum, workshop sessions were facilitated to draw a common roadmap together to resolve the identified problems with relevant parties. It is anticipated that by the conclusion of the third Forum, the apprenticeship students will have generated inclusive solution proposals as well as the essential campaign and communication strategy for putting them into action. In addition, opportunities are pursued to bring the rights of apprentice students to the light.
At the closing panel of the 3rd Forum, where leading apprentice students and decision-making stakeholders sat shoulder to shoulder, the students read the declaration describing their inclusive solution proposals. Laurent Guirkinger, Head of Humanitarian and Social Development Department of the Delegation of the European Union to Turkey, Mustafa Günay, Head of Social Partners and Projects Department of the Ministry of National Education General Directorate of Vocational and Technical Education, Serdar Dalmaz, European Union External Relations Representative of the Confederation of Turkish Tradesmen and Craftsmen, and Bertand Commelin, Director of Human Capital and Social Development Department of Expertise France, took the floor after the students and shared their messages of support for the expectations expressed by the leader apprentices.
The Fourth Forum is planned to be organized in 2024 aims to pave a way towards creating a platform where they can make stronger voices heard and jointly solve their problems by establishing a structured organizational network.
