bursa
As part of a pilot project launched by the Ministry of Education, secondary schools in Inegol district, northwestern Bursa province, are implementing career-oriented education that puts students on vocational paths early in their studies.
The program aims to help middle school students make informed career choices even before they reach high school.
One of the vocational secondary schools, Hacı Sevim Yıldız-2 Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, enrolled 64 students this year, 35 of whom were women. The interest expressed by female students was significantly higher than that of male students, highlighting the attractiveness of the career path for female students at this early stage.
Ejem Yagmul Aras, a fifth grade student at the school, explained his decision to participate in the program.
“I came to this school of my own free will. When I grow up, I want to be a chemist and study in the field of chemical technology.” Her determination is to help students find a career that matches their passion from an early age. It reflects the school’s goal of helping people make choices.
The pilot project expanded to other regions of Turkiye, including Bursa, Sivas, Konya and Burdur, where for the first time vocational high schools opened their doors to secondary school students. These schools introduce craft workshops to their students as part of their ‘skill development programmes’. The hands-on approach allows students to attend classes for free and gives them a unique opportunity to explore different careers.
One of the male students, Tunahan Serep, is taking 35 hours of classes a week, including two hours of classes on job selection and career, and he also talked about his future goals.
“My goal is to study metal technology and become good at it.”
This initiative is expected to continue to expand as specialized junior high schools become more popular.
