ETF’s assessment of Turkey and lifelong learning

For the ETF, the creation of lifelong learning systems is essential to human capital development. Turkey’s current government plans to become one of the top-10 global economies and policymakers are well aware that for this to happen, the country’s human capital must improve. In the ETF’s Torino Process assessment on policies for human capital development in Turkey, published in 2020, a number of challenges are identified, and recommendations are made for solutions. These recommendations can help policymakers in the context of Turkey’s Education Vision 2023 which was launched in 2019.   

Although Turkey’s population is young, almost 52% of the total population is in the 25-64 age group, which means that there is a great potential demand for adult learning. If economic transformation is already underway, adults in Turkey is in demand for reskilling and upskilling to respond to the requirements needed for new jobs, and evidence shows there is still fairly weak participation in learning and training structures.

ETF highlights substantial progress in the area of human capital development but notes that considerable gaps against several OECD benchmarks remain especially in adult education.  To capitalise on shorter-term benefits of human capital development, the ETF recommends that Turkey develops a fully fletched lifelong education strategic framework and programmes for adults with inadequate schooling by focusing also on upskilling low-skilled workers and low-educated entrepreneurs.

The ETF recommends that this becomes imperative in order for the population in Turkey to be able to keep up with its economic transformation which is linked to its high and rapid urbanisation. This urbanisation has contributed significantly to the development of the economy, but it has also increased inequalities relating to wealth and human capital, depending on the geographical region.

Even if Turkey has a long history of adult education which began in the 1920s, intensifying and developing a longer-term vision and strategy for adult learning is crucial, and the ETF suggests that action be taken in this regard. Its recommendations are:

• Initial vocational training should be firmly linked, and even synchronised to continuing vocational education and training because the lifelong learning perspective continues to increase, in the context of digital transformation. People would acquire more competitive career perspectives, and initial training would gain more recognition.
• Adult learning policies and practices should be reviewed, in order to rebalance the overall education budget in favour of adult learning. Bottlenecks should be identified, as well as areas where improvement is needed, such as education and training for adults lacking skills and qualifications, refugees and migrants, or female entrepreneurship. Cooperation and coordination can be improved within organisations, and among ministries, universities and employer organisations.
• Apprenticeships should be increased, with clear and realistic objectives. Analysis and research are needed to identify areas where skills are mismatched in vocational graduates. Finally, a national system for career guidance services should be developed and integrated into the curriculum, with career management skills beginning at an early stage.

The ETF’s assessment acknowledges the substantial progress Turkey has made in human capital development, in particular with regard to access to primary, secondary and tertiary education, as well as having integrated a great number of refugees into the education system. Ambitious reforms for human capital development are underway which include the areas of initial training and adult learning. Participation in adult learning can support workers to adapt to changing economic circumstances. All higher education institutions (HEIs) in Turkey house Continuous Education Centres offering certificated academic, vocational and professional courses, as well as seminars and conferences for all ages and subjects. Such training in certain specialised areas is also available in Applied Research Centres. Open and distance education play an important role in extending the reach of adult learning. There is, however, room for improvement in both these areas, which the ETF recommends be addressed immediately if Turkey is to meet its projected economic and social policy goals.