Turkey

Abstract

In Turkey, under a revised co-operation model (2019), VET sector representatives collaborate on curriculum design, provide work-based learning for students and teachers, offer scholarships and prioritise students for employment. Based on a VET mapping study carried out in 2019, Turkey has also sought to match the specialisms of VET institutions with the needs of the regional economy in which they are located more effectively. There have also been considerable efforts to increase the involvement of VET teachers in in-service training. The Co-operation Protocol for Teaching allows teachers to carry out professional development in real work environments; Turkey has also developed distance-learning opportunities for VET teachers. As a result of these efforts, the scale of in-service professional development for VET teachers has increased by six times since 2018. According to a national review of vocational education from 2018, labour force participation and employment rates were higher among VET students than students in the general upper secondary track. National-level data from 2020 points to a 17% increase in students choosing VET between 2018 and 2019 (Ministry of National Education of Turkey, 2018[6]). A report from the European Training Foundation underlined several improvements in Turkey’s VET provision but pointed to continued challenges in aligning skills with labour market demand (Zelloth, 2020[7]). Turkey is seeking to deepen the involvement of labour market partners in providing infrastructure for VET provision and in setting up schools.