The Vocational Education and Employment Workshop, organized under the coordination of the Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD) Planning, Education and Culture Commission, was hosted by MUSIAD President Mahmut Asmalı with the participation of the Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer.

Speaking at the opening program of the event held at MUSIAD Headquarters, MUSIAD Planning, Education and Culture Commission Chairman Dr. Savaş Yılmaz emphasized the importance of vocational training.

R&D centers increase in vocational high schools

Making a statement at the MUSIAD Vocational Education and Employment Workshop, Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer stated that they wanted to bring the production capacity of vocational high schools together with intellectual property and used the following statements:

"When you look at the competition in the world, the main focus of competition is intellectual property and industrial rights. Patent, utility model, brand, design capacity and its commercialization. With the participation of our President, we established R&D centers in 50 vocational high schools with a strong infrastructure. One of the vocational high schools devastated by the February 28 process. It was a journey towards a vocational high school that carries out innovative studies, where successful students come. Currently, that number has increased to 55. While the Ministry of National Education has registered 29 products in the last 10 years, vocational high schools have started to receive nearly 1000 patents and utility model trademark design registrations. We started to bring this capacity together with our other schools, science and art centers, science high schools and imam hatip high schools. While our target in 2022 was to get the registration of 7,500 products, we increased to 8,300. 74 of them were registered."

"Vocational centers should be made attractive"

Making evaluations in the program, MUSIAD Chairman Mahmut Asmalı pointed out the steps taken to support the studies that promote vocational and technical education and said, "We need to be able to make vocational training centers attractive for both employers and students."

President Asmalı made the following statements in his evaluation on the subject:

"We are taking steps for our citizens to turn to different vocational-technical trainings and improve themselves. In order to encourage this process, we are working on a comprehensive training report that will identify the need for vocational and technical training in different sectors. Most of the problems raised regarding vocational training in Turkey are Problems that can be solved by strengthening training centers. Strengthening the vocational education infrastructure offers important opportunities in terms of reducing the youth unemployment rate. For this, we need to be able to make vocational training centers attractive for both employers and students."

Internship opportunity in Europe for vocational high school students from MUSIAD

In his evaluation, MUSIAD President Mahmut Asmalı also reminded that MUSIAD is among the few institutions that have received Erasmus+ Accreditation for European Union Erasmus+ Vocational Education, Learner and Staff Mobility, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union Presidency and the Turkish National Agency.

Saying, "MUSIAD will provide our vocational high schools, which are the shining stars in production, with observation and internship mobility during the accreditation process," Chairman Asmalı said that 42 vocational high school students were sent to Austria and Belgium last week.

President Asmalı stated that a total of 42 students from motor vehicles, information technologies, electrical-electronics departments will participate in internship mobility and on-site trainings at MUSIAD member companies determined in Vienna and Brussels between 1-30 October.

"Commercial Diplomacy Workshop" to train international trade ambassadors is in operation

MUSIAD President Mahmut Asmalı stated that MUSIAD will implement the "Commercial Diplomacy Workshop" project within the scope of academy-education studies within the framework of MUSIAD Vocational Education and Employment Workshop.

Within the scope of the study, it is aimed to gain experience with commercial diplomacy research and simulations to university students. Internship and employment opportunities will be provided to successful students in the "Commercial Diplomacy Workshop", where international trade ambassadors will be trained.

The future of vocational education was discussed comprehensively at the Vocational Education and Employment Workshop

Within the scope of MUSIAD Vocational Education and Employment Workshop, the future of vocational education was evaluated at the meetings moderated by experts in their fields.

In the meetings held, ideas were exchanged on issues such as employment and sectoral expectations, expectations of students and young people from vocational education, non-formal and continuous education processes, supporting training centers to increase the knowledge and skills of employees, and the development of trainers.