February 4, 2025

“Workshop on the Current Situation of Vocational Schools and the Future of Vocational Education” was held at the Council of Higher Education under the chairmanship of CoHE President Erol Özvar with the participation of rectors, academics, vocational school directors, representatives of organized industrial zones for employment, and representatives of important business organizations.

Erol Özvar made the opening speech of the workshop organized to evaluate the status and future vision of vocational schools and to determine the steps to be taken for a better vocational education and said, “As the Council of Higher Education, we attach great importance to the opening of programs that can be directly associated with employment and the reorganization of existing programs according to sectoral needs.”

Özvar called on the sector representatives attending the workshop to work together in the transformation of vocational schools. “The fact that both sector representatives and all representatives on the education side act in full cooperation in line with the common goal will be directly effective in meeting the need for personnel required for the economic development of this country.”

He stated that they have initiated a strategic process to review vocational college programs that have become outdated, have low graduate employment rates, or are no longer in demand by the industry, with the goal of either phasing them out or restructuring them to align with current needs. He announced that they have designed programs for areas that require new skill sets, taking into account the opinions of sector representatives and relevant institutions.

He also shared information about the “Current Situation Analysis of Vocational Schools and Vocational Education Roadmap Report". Stating that the report will be an important guide for the Turkish higher education system to achieve its strategic goals, Özvar said that they will prepare an action plan in the light of the data and analysis provided by the report.

Özvar stated that vocational schools established in organized industrial zones enable students to learn theoretical knowledge by applying it directly in the business environment and quickly meet the qualified workforce needed by the sector. “The fact that the employment rate of these graduates is as high as 80% reveals that this model is extremely effective in terms of employment.”