As Türkiye Gençlik ve Eğitime Hizmet Vakfı (TÜRGEV), we held the first of the "Vocational Education Awareness Workshop Series" that we launched to emphasize the importance of vocational education for the future of our country in Istanbul. With this project, where we brought together educational institutions, public authorities, and private sector representatives, we aim to establish lasting collaborations that will carry vocational education from local to national levels and build a self-confidence strengthened by professions for our youth.
Dr. Esra Albayrak, a member of the Board of Trustees, also participated in the program TÜRGEV and met with the youth.

Our Board Chair, Attorney Hatice Akıncı Yılmaz, emphasized in her opening speech that vocational education is the cornerstone of a country's production power:

"The real development of a country begins where knowledge meets labor. With this project, we aim to restore vocational education to the respected position it deserves and to help our youth build a self-confidence strengthened by their professions. Because we see education not just as the transfer of knowledge, but as a life guidance, and we continue to be a guiding star for our youth."

Istanbul Provincial Director of National Education Assoc. Dr. Murat Mücahit Yentür drew attention to the need to strengthen vocational education again in his speech, stating:

"Istanbul is a vast educational universe with approximately 3 million students and 170 thousand teachers. To connect every student with their potential, we need to add families and the industry to the school-student-teacher triangle. We are building a system where our girls have a greater presence in vocational education, and where talents are combined with practice. This process led by TÜRGEV will turn into a strong march from awareness to transformation."

Additionally, Muzaffer Aydın, Head of the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Quality Development Department of the Vocational and Technical Education Directorate, also gave a speech at the program. Aydın stated that the sustainability and quality of vocational education will be strengthened through public-private sector collaborations, saying:

"Vocational education should be approached not just as a school process, but as a part of lifelong learning. This work carried out under the leadership of TÜRGEV will make significant contributions to the vocational education ecosystem in our country."

As TÜRGEV, we aim to establish a learning chain that extends from internships to careers with our "Vocational Education Awareness Workshops", to connect vocational education with sector needs, and to develop applicable models from local to national.
At the workshop, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Sarıbıyık and Talha Bektaş, who have made significant contributions in the field of vocational education, also contributed with their presentations. During the roundtable discussions held throughout the day, concrete solution proposals were developed under the headings of "Perception of Vocational Education and Social Awareness", "School Culture and Student Awareness", and "Family, Sector, and Public Awareness".

After this first session in Istanbul, we will continue our workshops in different regions of Turkey to contribute to the future of vocational education.