Ankara (ILO News)- The ILO continues to support both jobseekers and employers by expanding its outreach to additional provinces in Türkiye to develop the skills required in rapidly evolving labour market through its Work-Based Learning Programme (WBL), locally known as İŞMEP.

In addition to its similar interventions in Gaziantep and Ankara, the ILO will develop the skills of additional 700 jobseekers in Adana, Bursa and Denizli and place them into jobs within the private sector enterprises.

The jobseekers’ capacities are strengthened through on-the-job and off-the-job vocational training, offered in partnership with the Adana Organized Industrial Zone, Bursa Yildirim Municipality and Denizli Organized Industrial Zone. On-the-job training is provided by employers at the workplaces, while off-the-job training is provided by the ILO partner in each province. Deadline for applications in these provinces is 31 August 2022.

The WBL is a part of the project “Promoting Decent Work for Syrians under Temporary Protection and Turkish Citizens” which supports an equal number of Turkish Citizens and Syrians under Temporary Protection (50/50).The programme has a special focus on women and persons with disabilities and provides specific incentives to these groups such as childcare services support to enhance their access to decent work opportunities. Of all WBL trainees, 30% are women and 5% are persons with disabilities.

“Through our tailor-made skills development programme WBL, we focus on linking training to formal labour market needs as well as to anticipate and build competencies for the jobs of the future. We believe that everyone has a stake in skills development, including policy makers, employers and employees so that strong, productive and inclusive economies do not remain in words but become a reality”, said Numan Özcan, Director of the ILO Office for Türkiye.

“It is one of our primary goals to provide a solution to both the labour needs of the industry and the unemployment problem by qualifying the workforce through the vocational training provided within the scope of Work Based Learning Programme. We started with 300 WBL beneficiaries and will continue our work to support women and persons with disabilities”, said Associate Professor Tuğçe Demirdelen. WBL Adana Project Coordinator, Coordinator of the Adana Organized Industrial Zone Project Support Office and Manager of the Alparslan Türkeş Science and Technology University Technology Transfer Office.

“Through WBL, we are happy to support both employers and employees at the same time” said M. Abdulkadir Uslu, President of Denizli Organized Industry Zone.

The WBL programme started first in Gaziantep in 2021 and continued to promote stronger access decent jobs in more provinces. In addition to Gaziantep, Ankara, Adanaand Denizli, the Programme will soon be launched in İstanbul. By mid-2023, at least 2,000 workers will gain required skills and access sustainable jobs, whereas the employers will benefit from more qualified workforce and make new investments to expand their involvement in training and reskilling of workers.

The project “Promoting Decent Work for Syrians under Temporary Protection and Turkish Citizens” funded by the Federal Republic of Germany through the KfW Development Bank and implemented by the ILO Office for Türkiye in coordination with the Directorate General for International Labour Force of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

For more info:

Kıvanç Özvardar Bahar, Communication Officer, ILO Office for Türkiye: ozvardar@ilo.org