Guidance and psychological counseling services in non-formal education generally cover the orientation of trainees to professions and jobs, preparation for working life, and support for their individual and social development.
Academic Guidance
In these services, necessary studies are carried out for each student at all levels of education to adapt to educational practices in accordance with his/her unique abilities, interests, professional values, achievements and motivation, and to orient to programs suitable for his/her characteristics and development. In educational guidance studies at this level, more emphasis is placed on preparing the individual for programs suitable for his/her characteristics and development for vocational guidance.
Psychological Counseling
Individual guidance includes not only helping students with their problems, but also supporting their personality, social development and maturation and individual and group activities organized for this purpose. Individual guidance services can be evaluated in this context, as well as guidance services for families in institutions.
Educational and vocational guidance and group guidance activities for the individual and social development of students are also organized within the scope of psychological counseling services. These activities are programmed, implemented, evaluated and developed in accordance with scientific standards to meet the developmental needs of students.
Career Guidance
In the field of career guidance in adult education, studies are carried out to orient to vocational fields and professions, to develop effective learning and working skills, to raise awareness about professions and the characteristics they require, to evaluate their individual characteristics and improve their level of awareness, to maintain individual and social development and to prepare them for adult life.
ISKUR (Turkish Employment Agency) conducts individual interviews in the vocational counseling dimension with students who want to get to know their own characteristics, professions and educational opportunities and to have information on vocational orientation. Job and career counseling is the provision of holistic counseling services focused on the employment axis to job seekers, employers and students, who are the main actors of the labor market. In order for job and career counselors to provide more effective services to all jobseekers, employers and students registered with ISKUR, each counselor is assigned a portfolio of jobseekers, employers and schools, and counselors provide this service through portfolio management, so that each unemployed person, employer and school has a counselor.
Profile Based Counseling System
The Profile-Based Counseling System is a system based on the principles of profiling job seekers registered with the Agency based on specified variables, providing target group-oriented counseling services by dividing job and vocational counselors into branches, regularly monitoring the status of individuals in the labor market by preparing individual action plans and increasing the quality of counseling services. It is based on two main axes: Profiling and Branching.
Artificial Intelligence-Supported Risk Profilinge
As part of the Risk Profiling Study, modeling efforts are conducted based on 27 variables identified for job seekers registered with the Institution. These variables include age, gender, educational status, number of previous employers, participation in courses/programs, receipt of social assistance, and willingness to seek employment. An artificial intelligence model is used to calculate the risk of being unemployed for more than six months for all individuals who actively seek employment and benefit from the services of the Institution (excluding retirees and those seeking better job opportunities).
The primary objective of the model is to determine the risk of long-term unemployment (over six months) for each individual receiving services. Based on this assessment, an Individual Action Plan is prepared in accordance with the individual’s risk profile. The plan aims to provide personalized counseling services tailored to the specific risk group.
As a result of the AI-based risk profiling, three different profiles have been defined for actively registered job seekers (excluding retirees and those seeking better conditions), based on their likelihood of being unemployed for more than six months. Profile 1 represents individuals with a low risk of long-term unemployment. These individuals have a high likelihood of finding a job. Profile 2 represents individuals with a medium risk of long-term unemployment. While they have lower employment prospects compared to the low-risk group, they are not considered to be at high risk. Profile 3 represents individuals with a high risk of being unemployed for more than six months. This group may face significant challenges in securing employment. In addition, tailored, target group-oriented counselling services are provided based on the individual’s circumstances. As shown below, job and vocational counsellors have been divided into five specialised branches as part of the specialisation framework.
Figure: Vocational and Employment Counsellors by Field
Groups of students are formed to raise awareness about the importance of choosing a profession. These groups receive information on factors to consider in career selection, available professions, vocational training opportunities, and options for further education.
Job and vocational counselors conduct group interviews with students who are in the process of choosing a profession. Training sessions are organized to teach job search skills, interview techniques, and how to prepare for employer interviews, particularly for students about to enter the workforce.
he University Liaison Points initiative, launched in 2013 to provide job and vocational counseling to university students, was restructured in 2020 and renamed ISKUR Campus, with a focus on collaboration with university career centers. ISKUR Campus centers are now available at universities in all 81 provinces. To further enhance job and vocational counseling services for university students, job and vocational counselors have been integrated into the Talent Gate platform, launched by the Presidential Human Resources Office (CBİKO). This platform enables students to access online career counseling.
ISKUR also provides face-to-face individual and group counseling on campuses, informing students about the labor market, ISKUR services, job search skills, interview techniques, resume writing, and Europass CV creation.
Since 2013, ISKUR has published the “Journal of Support for Vocational Selection” to improve workforce employability, support career guidance for job seekers and students, and raise awareness among parents and guidance counselors.
Vocational Promotion Days, launched in 2015, are held to assist students before making university choices. During these events, many professions—including the most in-demand in Türkiye—are introduced. The goal is to mitigate the negative effects of poor career choices, raise awareness of ISKUR services, and support young people on their career journeys.
The ISKUR Vocational Orientation Test Battery has been in use since 2013 to evaluate the skills, personality traits, and vocational interests of unemployed individuals and students. It is designed to direct them toward suitable jobs and vocational training courses, ultimately improving their employment prospects and job retention.
The Internship Portal is a platform where high school, university, graduate, and doctoral students can access internship listings posted by private sector employers. These listings match students’ qualifications with company requirements. The platform, accessible via https://staj.iskur.gov.tr, is integrated with Türkiye’s E-Government system to improve its accessibility and effectiveness. The portal is a vital component of ISKUR Campus services and aims to ease young people’s transition into the labor market through career support and internships.
The Turkish Dictionary of Occupations (TMS) is continuously updated as part of occupational research and development efforts. These updates reflect emerging occupations resulting from advancements in technology and changes in the business landscape. As part of these efforts, job analysis and occupational research are conducted to revise existing job definitions and introduce new ones. All occupations are classified and coded according to the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08).
Vocational Advisory Commission (VAC) meetings are held to provide guidance to those seeking information about occupations and educational institutions. These meetings also serve to develop and approve new occupational information files. Currently, 1.123 occupational information files are available on the Institution’s website.