UNDP and the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye organized a workshop to define the objectives and services of the vocational training centers that will be established in 2024 all around the country to equip young people with digital skills

Within the European Union (EU) funded EUR 7.9 million “Today's Youth, Future Jobs” initiative, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (UMT) brought together representatives from 45 municipalities in a workshop to start the preparations for the establishment of Digital Youth Centers. These vocational training centers will be opened all around Türkiye, including 11 provinces affected by the February 2023 earthquakes, to improve the career-related technology skills of the youth and prepare them for jobs in digital and innovation economies. 

The workshop, organized in Konya for the personnel responsible for coordinating digital centers, aimed to develop their capacities on future trends, digital skills needed for future jobs and to showcase best practices on municipal services provided in various digital centers.

The centers, to be opened in 2024, are envisioned as dynamic hubs for skills development with a comprehensive curriculum and will provide young people with training on information technologies, robotics, coding, e-transformation, digital marketing, and social innovation. In the first round of courses, 4,000 students and youth will be targeted.

Centers will be established in the following provinces and districts: Adıyaman, Ağrı, Aksaray, Antalya, Balıkesir, Batman, Bingöl, Bitlis, Bursa, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Efeler (Aydın), Elazığ, Erzurum, Esenyurt (Istanbul), Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Hatay, Izmir, Kahramanmaraş, Karabük, Kars, Kayseri, Keçiören (Ankara), Kilis, Kocaeli, Konya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Menteşe (Muğla), Mersin, Ordu, Osmaniye, Sakarya, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, Seyhan (Adana), Şırnak, Sivas, Tekirdağ, Trabzon, Van, Yozgat. 

More than 200 training sessions will offer spaces for trainees in groups of young people aged 20-29, and students aged 10-19. Furthermore, a digital e-learning platform will provide blended on-line learning and training opportunities for youth. 400 young people will be supported through mentoring programs and 95 people by internship programs to facilitate employment opportunities. Also, a center of excellence will be established within the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye to provide regular training on digital skills development for municipal personnel.

During the workshop, participants engaged in a series of capacity-building sessions led by experts, with the aim of defining the objectives and training components such as blockchain, cyber security, e-commerce, informatics and data entry. The discussions centered on exploring the future landscape of digital professions and the requisite skills to acquire them. Participants had the chance to examine the best practices operating under the Konya Metropolitan Municipality, with a focus on technology and innovation. 

Also, a training session on women's empowerment and combating inequalities was conducted. This training was vital for participants to effectively coordinate and facilitate their future centers while ensuring inclusivity and sensitivity to societal inequalities, as well as empowering vulnerable groups.

The “Today's Youth Future Jobs” initiative is funded by the EU and implemented by UNDP in collaboration with the UMT to empower Türkiye's youth for a thriving digital future.