1st Apprentice Student Forum held under “Improving the employment prospects for the Syrian refugees and host communities by high-quality VET and apprenticeship in Turkey” Programme
APPRENTICE STUDENTS MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD
The 1st Apprentice Student Forum was held online on 21-22 October 2021 under Improving the employment prospects for the Syrian refugees and host communities by high-quality VET and apprenticeship in Turkey (VET4JOB) Programme, which is funded by the European Union and carried out with the cooperation of the Ministry of National Education Directorate General of Vocational Education and Training (DGVET) and the Confederation of Turkish Tradesmen and Craftsmen (TESK), implemented by Expertise France and EDUSER.
VET4JOB, one of the most effective programmes in the field of apprenticeship training in Turkey, is implemented to improve sustainable livelihoods and employment prospects for Syrians and host communities, by supporting their skills development through apprenticeship and VET in line with labour market needs. VET4JOB also aims to raise public awareness in the field of “Combating Child Labour” and supports young people to stay in education by emphasizing the advantages of apprenticeship training in the formal education system. Having started on January 1, 2020 with the financial support of the European Union, VET4JOB has a budget of EUR 30 Million and will continue for a duration of three years.
The objective of the Apprentice Student Fora to be held under VET4JOB is to help the apprentices strengthen their capacity by participating in the trainings within their fields of interest and to provide them with an environment where they can engage in these activities while having fun.
For the Apprentice Student Fora, 2 leader apprentice students were selected from each of the 36 VET institutions included in VET4JOB. In this process, a leader teacher from each school and one project manager from a total of 13 Unions of Turkish Tradesmen and Craftsmen support and guide the leader apprentice students.
A special digital platform was created for the 1st Apprentice Student Forum event, organized within the scope of VET4JOB. 72 apprentice students who participated in this online platform discussed the challenges and opportunities in their training processes, analysed the basic principles of conflict resolution and communication with the help of expert trainers, participated in entertaining activities on the platform and created an action plan for the future.
At the opening session of the Apprentice Student Forum, MoNE DGVET Workplace-Based Vocational Training Department Head Süleyman Akgül, TESK Deputy Secretary General Sinan Özkan, Deputy Head of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT) Division of the EU Delegation to Turkey, Dimitrina Karayotova, and representing Expertise France, Stability and Durability Department Head Laurent Marion addressed the apprentices.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN EDUCATION
Süleyman Akgül, MoNE DGVET Workplace-Based Vocational Training Department Head, emphasized the importance of equal opportunities in education and stated: “All members of society should join forces without any discrimination in their efforts for social, cultural and economic progress, and work side by side to realize this common ideal.”
At the first Apprentice Student Forum, Akgül also expressed that they aim to address the opportunities and challenges of apprenticeship education with the perspective of leader students, to support the efforts for developing the apprentice training system, to help apprentice students make their voices heard, to create interaction among the young population, to have the students’ support to make apprenticeship training available to more young people and to create opportunities for these students so they can develop their leadership skills.
VOCATIONAL TRAINING IS INDISPENSABLE FOR A STRONG TURKEY
Sinan Özkan, Deputy Secretary General of TESK, stated: “Today, the level of vocational education and training is one of the factors that determine countries’ level of development. In a world where change continues at an astounding pace, countries feel the obligation to take permanent and effective steps for the future within the framework of vocational and technical training. We have no doubt that our country will start the coming years stronger with its effective vocational training approach and policies that embrace the future.”
Sinan Özkan, Deputy Secretary General of TESK, said: “In pursuit of high-quality apprenticeship training, our entire organization is determined to mobilize all necessary resources, find new resources and carry out the necessary lobbying activities for the development of vocational education and training, which we believe to be the key to a secure future for our children.”
APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING GIVES STUDENTS CAREERS
Dimitrina Karayotova, Deputy Head of the FRIT Division of the EU Delegation to Turkey, started her speech by emphasizing the importance of VET4JOB for the EU Delegation to Turkey. Pointing out that VET4JOB, financed by the EU, is the only project within the scope of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey that focuses on apprenticeship training and deals with child labour, Karayotova addressed the apprentice students: “Getting an apprenticeship is not just about gaining professional skills. You can step into an important career or have the opportunity to start your own business.”
Dimitrina Karayotova stated that apprenticeship programmes invest in apprentices’ skills in a particular field and contribute to a future that can change their lives and provide better career perspectives by improving their knowledge level in this field and shaping their goals.
BEING THE VOICE OF APPRENTICE STUDENTS
Speaking on behalf of Expertise France, one of the implementing agencies of VET4JOB, Stability and Durability Department Head Laurent Marion started his speech by mentioning that Turkey is the country hosting the largest number of refugees in the world and emphasized the important role VET4JOB plays in strengthening the social and economic cohesion between the Syrians and the Turkish host community.
Emphasizing that the First Apprentice Student Forum was designed with a participatory perspective, Marion referred to Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and stated that children/young people have the right to participate in decision-making processes that may be relevant to their lives and to influence the decisions taken about them.
Highlighting the importance of the Forum as a channel to ensure that the voices of the apprentices are heard, Marion stated that it is crucial to consider the components of apprenticeship training from the apprentice students’ perspective, to allow students to defend themselves and to increase dialogue opportunities. Laurent Marion stated: “The Apprentice Student Forum, which we are holding for the first time, will pave the way to attract the attention of the relevant actors as well as the public to apprenticeship training and apprentice students.”
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