Definition of Target Group(s)

With Law No. 6764, apprenticeship education was included within the scope of compulsory education and connected to the General Directorate of Vocational and Technical Education of the Ministry of National Education. Registrations are made according to the student’s information in the e-Okul/e-Mesem system or an equivalency certificate. In MESEMs (Vocational Training Centers), the curriculum in 39 fields and 193 branches was updated and put into practice in the 2023-2024 academic year.

According to the MoNE Regulation on Secondary Education Institutions, the exams of students attending vocational education centers are conducted in the form of written and/or practical exams, regardless of the work file. Students who fail the journeyman exam are taken to the journeyman exam once again in the first responsibility exam period, according to the principles of the skills exam.

In the MoNE Regulation on Secondary Education Institutions updated in 2025; certificate is issued to the students of the vocational education center program who are successful in the journeyman skills exam and have no failed courses, and Master’s Certificate is issued to those who are successful in the master’s skills exam held at the end of the theoretical and practical training period stipulated in their programs and have no failed courses. Those who have a master’s / workplace opening certificate, a four-year vocational and technical secondary education institution diploma, or at least an associate degree diploma can participate in the business pedagogy course offered by schools and institutions. The business pedagogy course can also be organized through distance education and exams can be held in the form of e-exams. Those who successfully complete the course are given a master teacher certificate. The certificate of master instructor is used together with the certificate of mastery/workplace opening certificate, a four-year vocational and technical secondary education institution diploma, or at least an associate degree diploma. In the same Regulation, in order for students to receive a diploma, a vocational and technical secondary education diploma in the relevant field/branch is issued to those who have graduated from at least a secondary education institution and who are also entitled to receive a certificate of mastery, if they wish. Vocational training center students who do not have a diploma from a upper secondary education institution, in addition to being entitled to receive a certificate of mastery in order to receive a diploma, must pass the difference courses to be determined by the Ministry through face-to-face training programs to be organized in vocational training centers or open upper secondary education institutions.The vocational and technical secondary education diploma of those who have a master’s certificate is issued by the Vocational Open Education High School.

Vocational and technical secondary education graduates are issued a Europass Certificate Supplement for the field/branch they graduated from. Europass Certificate Supplement is accepted and put into practice by the Board of Education. Europass Certificate Supplement is prepared for each field and branch applied in vocational and technical secondary education. Europass Certificate Supplement was started to be issued in the 2013-2014 academic year. Europass Certificate Supplement is published on the website of the National Reference Point, which is the first point of application for vocational education in our country.

Master and master instructor certificates were reorganized according to the procedures and principles set out in Law No. 6764 and the Regulation on Secondary Education Institutions. As of 10.10.2017, the new documents have started to be used.

The “Ministry of National Education Directive on the Procedures and Principles Regarding the Recognition of Prior Learning, Equivalence and Assessment and Evaluation Procedures” was published in the MoNE Journal of Communiqués dated October 2017 and numbered 2721 and put into practice. Within the scope of the “Ministry of National Education Prior Directive Principles on the Procedures and Regarding the Recognition of Learning, Equivalence and Assessment and Evaluation Procedures”, assessment and evaluation criteria to be used in journeyman and master’s skill exams, determination of consumables and matching of non-formal education course certificates with the fields/branches applied in apprenticeship were carried out. Exemption tables for vocational and technical secondary education diplomas and mastership certificates were prepared by examining the contents of national occupational standards and national qualifications for 201 professions included in the scope of VQA Vocational Qualification Certificate obligation, as well as the contents of diplomas issued by vocational and technical education institutions affiliated to MoNE and mastership certificates issued under the Vocational Education Law No. 3308.

According to the Regulation on Lifelong Learning Institutions, the work and procedures related to the measurement of literacy competencies are carried out by institutions affiliated to the Ministry. According to the same regulation, “Within the scope of lifelong learning the knowledge, skills and competencies acquired by the individual through formal, lifelong learning and/or independent learning are documented by measuring and evaluating the standards developed for the recognition of prior learning. The professions to be included in the scope of recognition of prior learning are determined by the Ministry.”

In this context, trainees who successfully complete non-formal education courses are offered by public education centers. Within the scope of the Directive on Recognition and Equivalence of Prior Learning, they can participate in journeyman or master’s skill exams to be held in vocational training centers.

Adult education (non-formal education) includes all kinds of learning activities in which individuals who are at any level of the formal education system or who have left or completed this level participate in order to improve their individual, social, and employment-related knowledge, skills, and competencies within the scope of lifelong learning.

Adult education, which is considered lifelong learning, is provided by public education centers, Advanced Technical School for Girls and open education schools.

HEM (Public Education Center) is the most easily accessible educational institution in adult education that organizes free courses in vocational, social, economic, sportive, and cultural fields for citizens of all ages, education, income, social status, and cultural levels in line with their interests, wishes, abilities, and expectations. HEM provides education services to all citizens through literacy, general and vocational courses.

HEM carries out its activities in provinces, districts, and villages, training rooms, prisons and detention centers, hospitals requiring rehabilitation, workplaces belonging to public and private organizations, buildings belonging to formal education institutions, and other places where needed. There is no age or education limit to benefit from non-formal education services. However, age and education level may be required due to the nature of the program to be implemented.

Non-formal education programs are structured in three main categories:

Literacy Courses: In order to encourage citizens to learn to read and write or to study at primary school level, Law No. 2841, “Law on the Literacy of Illiterate Citizens Outside the Age of Compulsory Primary Education or the Provision of Education at Primary School Level,” was enacted. The purpose of this Law is to ensure that all citizens outside the age of compulsory primary education who do not know how to read and write, or know very little, learn to read and write or receive primary school level education under the supervision and control of the state in accordance with the objectives and basic principles of Turkish National Education. Those who are successful in the Adult Level I Literacy Education, Adult Level I Literacy Teaching, and Basic Education Program Course or in the Adult Literacy Level I Placement Test are given a “Certificate of Literacy”. Adults Second Level Literacy Education. Those who are successful in the Adult Second Level Basic Education Program Course or in the Adult Literacy Second Level Placement Examination are given a “Certificate of Achievement in Adult Second Level Education”.

General courses: These are non-modular courses. They consist of health, family, school, mother and child education programs, civic education programs, personal development and training, sports, music and performing arts, safety of life and property, foreign languages, religious education course programs, and course programs for social and agricultural needs or demands.

Vocational and technical courses are modular courses. They cover fields and branches such as vocational training programs, basic skills development programs and information and technology usage programs. Vocational and technical programs are developed and implemented by MoNE in cooperation with relevant institutions and organizations. Vocational education programs are developed in a modular structure in accordance with national vocational standards and national occupatiponal qualifications.

The courses to be opened by the Ministry within the scope of traditional arts that are about to be forgotten are determined by the commission every year and the list of determined professions is put into practice with the approval of the authority. In the year 2024, the list of forgotten professions was determined by a commission consisting of representatives of the Ministry units and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the courses in question were defined and put into practice in the e-Yaygın System (electronic common education portal) under the fields they are related to after the approval of the authority.

Adult literacy courses, one of the main duties of the Ministry, continue within the scope of the “Literacy Campaign” launched on February 1, 2018 to ensure that all illiterate adults learn to read and write. The mobilization, which is carried out by the General Directorate of Lifelong Learning on behalf of our Ministry, is carried out under the auspices of our President Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN and his wife Emine ERDOĞAN.

According to the cooperation protocol signed between the Ministry of Justice and the MoNE, inservice training on “Adult Literacy Instruction Trainer Training” was held on 25-29 September 2023 at the Ministry of Justice Penal Institutions and Detention Houses Personnel Ankara Training Center Directorate in order to enable teachers working in penal and execution institutions to be assigned as formator teachers in adult literacy courses.

Courses are organized for people in need of special education in order to provide them with knowledge and skills in vocational, technical, social and cultural fields, to bring them to life and to make them productive individuals. In the organization of courses, cooperation is made with the General Directorate for Special Education and Guidance Services, higher education institutions and relevant institutions and organizations. Special classes and groups can be formed for individuals with special education needs, and necessary measures are taken to ensure that other individuals benefit from the courses they attend. According to the Regulation on Lifelong Learning Institutions, in the courses organized for individuals with special educational needs (except for those who can benefit from inclusion/integration education practices), even one person can open a course regardless of the number of trainees.

Open Education Schools: The schools that provide education services through distance education within the MoNE General Directorate for Lifelong Learning are as follows: Open Education Secondary School, Open Education High School, Vocational Open Education High School, Vocational and Technical Open Education School and Open Education Imam Hatip High School.

Open Education Lower Secondary School: In Open Education Secondary School, students are accepted for 6th, 7th and 8th grades as well as 5th grade with the transition to the 4+4+4 education system.

For students who have passed the age limit for formal education, a school year is divided into three semesters in Open Education Lower Secondary School and students enrolled in the 5th grade can complete their education in three semesters.

The conditions for enrollment in Open Lower Secondary School are as follows:

1. Students who have reached the age of 15 as of the beginning of the academic year (However, no age limit is required for students in need of special education, detainees, convicts, those in children’s education homes and students who want to enroll in programs abroad. For those who enroll in the program abroad and then want to switch to the program in Türkiye, the condition of being out of compulsory education age is sought),
2. Primary school graduates and those who have completed 4th grade,
3. Leavers from the 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th grade of primary or secondary school,
4. Lower Secondary school leavers or those who applied for the external secondary school graduation exam but did not graduate,
5. Those who have a Certificate of Achievement for Adult Level II Training,
6. Those who have a Training and Complementary Basic Education-B Course Certificate,
7. Those who have been educated abroad and have a certificate of equivalence at the level of those who have completed at least the 4th grade of primary school.

The accurate and appropriate use of Turkish is the main objective in all courses in the Open Education Secondary School. There is no age limit for prisoners, convicts, and those who certify that they have physical disabilities, those who certify that they require special education with a document from the Special Education Services Board, and students enrolled in programs abroad. Centralized system/online/e-exam methods also conduct exams according to need, and students in need of special education and other disadvantaged students are taken to the exam by arranging an environment suitable for their special condition. Education and training services are provided to citizens living abroad through Open Education Secondary School programs abroad.

Open Education High School

Although the curriculum of the Open High School is the same as that of formal general high schools, its structure and functioning differ from other formal education institutions, making it a unique and centrally managed model. Currently, the Open High School, which grants diplomas based on a credit and course passing system as required by the regulation, utilizes the core processes of distance education. In 2006, with the extension of all high school programs to four years, the duration of the Open High School was also extended to four years, and its regulation was revised accordingly, resulting in a change in the system.

Open Education High School is a unique and centralized model that is different from other formal education institutions in terms of its structure and functioning, although its program content is the same as that of general high schools in formal education. The Open Education High School, which currently graduates students according to the course pass and credit system in accordance with the regulations, utilizes the basic processes of distance education. In 2006, with the extension of all schools to 4 years, the Open Education High School was also extended to 4 years and the system was changed by reorganizing the Regulation within this framework.

The registration requirements of the Open Education High School are as follows:

1. Graduates of primary school / middle school/imam hatip middle school,
2. Leavers from secondary education institutions,
3. Students enrolled in formal education institutions other than open education institutions who are allowed to transfer to open education high schools by the Ministry according to the provisions of the relevant legislation,
4. Students enrolled in formal education institutions other than open education institutions who are allowed to transfer to open education high schools by the Ministry according to the provisions of the relevant legislation,
5. Those with special education needs who are directed to open education high schools with the special education evaluation board guidance report issued by the guidance and research centers and who are decided to be placed by the provincial/district special education services board and who meet one of the conditions in subparagraphs (a) and (b),
6. Those who have been educated abroad and have obtained equivalency in one of the cases in subpragraphs (a), (b) and (ç),
7. Foreign nationals who meet one of the conditions in subparagraphs (a), (b), (c), and (d),
8. Those who are studying at a higher education institution, who have left or graduated, can enroll.

Education and training services are provided to citizens living abroad through Open Education High School programs abroad.

Vocational Open Education High School

The establishment of Vocational Open Vocational High School was necessitated by the need for more effective implementation of vocational secondary education programs, face-to-face education, internship studies and efforts to integrate scientific and technological developments into the work.

The purpose of Vocational Open Education High School is to provide education and training opportunities to those who have completed primary education but cannot continue secondary education, and to those who have left or graduated from secondary education and those who have left or graduated from higher education by giving them the opportunity to study in different fields. It also considers preparing students for life and higher education, raising the cultural level of society and ensuring equality of opportunity and opportunity at the secondary education level as sub-objectives.

Vocational Open Education High School has more unique features than other formal education institutions in terms of its structure and functioning although its program content is the same as the program content of vocational high schools in formal education. The school provides education according to the course passing and credit system. While courses are offered to students through distance education technologies, vocational courses are taught face-to-face in formal education schools.

Vocational secondary education programs are applied in Vocational Open Education High School. Measurement and evaluation are carried out by centralized system. Students in need of special education are provided with exam precaution services appropriate to their disabilities.

The registration requirements for Vocational Open Education High School are as follows:

1. Graduates of primary school / middle school / imam hatip middle school,
2. Leavers from secondary education institutions,
3. Students enrolled in formal education institutions other than open education institutions who are allowed to transfer to open education high schools by the Ministry according to the provisions of the relevant legislation,
4. Graduates of secondary education institutions,
5. Those with special education needs who are directed to open education high schools with the special education evaluation board guidance report issued by the guidance and research centers and who are decided to be placed by the provincial/district special education services board, who meet one of the conditions in subparagraphs (a) and (b),
6. Those who have been educated abroad and have obtained equivalency in one of the cases in subparagraphs (a), (b) and (c),
7. Foreign nationals who meet one of the conditions in subparagraphs (a), (b), (c) and (d),
8. Those who are studying at a higher education institution, who have left or graduated can enroll.

Vocational and Technical Open Education School

Vocational and Technical Open Education School is a school that aims to provide vocational training to citizens who have completed at least primary school in accordance with the general objectives of the Basic Law on National Education and the basic principles of this Law and the Vocational Education Law by applying distance education or face-to-face education programs when necessary, and thus preparing them for life.

Open Education Imam Hatip High School

Open Education Imam Hatip High Schools have the same the program content as Anatolian Imam Hatip High Schools in formal education. Course passing and credit system are applied in these schools. The common and elective courses taught in Open Education Imam Hatip High Schools are determined by the Board of Education in accordance with formal education. Courses taken through distance education are supported by lecture videos, PDF textbooks and course materials and other digital materials on the internet via MoNE, EBA. Vocational (field) courses are taught in formal Anatolian imam hatip high schools in two semesters as face-to-face education on weekends or at the end of the school day.

The registration conditions of the Open Education Imam Hatip High School are as follows:

1. Graduates of primary school / middle school / imam hatip middle school,
2. Leavers from secondary education institutions,
3. Students enrolled in formal education institutions other than open education institutions who are allowed to transfer to open education high schools by the Ministry according to the provisions of the relevant legislation,
4. Graduates of secondary education institutions
5. Those with special education needs who are directed to open education high schools with the special education evaluation board guidance report issued by the guidance and research centers and who are decided to be placed by the provincial/district special education services board and who meet one of the conditions in subparagraphs (a) and (b),
6. . Those who have been educated abroad and have obtained equivalency in one of the cases in subparagraphs (a), (b) and (ç),
7. Foreign nationals who meet one of the conditions in subparagraphs (a), (b), (ç) and (d),
8. Those who are studying at a higher education institution, who have left or graduated can enroll.

Special Support Conditions

There is no direct financial support for non-formal education beneficiaries, except for those in the scope of apprenticeship training, but there are indirect support and incentive mechanisms. There are no support schemes such as non-refundable scholarships or loans with repayment for those attending adult education due to their status as trainees. However, for the development of vocational education, real and legal persons who provide skills training to apprentice, technical and vocational high school students in the workplaces covered by the Vocational Education Law within the limits specified in the Law and according to the principles and measures determined by the Ministry, 50% of the amount they pay to the fund from Income and Corporate Taxes is refunded from the fund as an incentive premium. The expenses (nutrition and accommodation) of individuals participating in non-formal education programs opened in special education institutions are covered by the Ministry.

Direct and indirect support for non-formal education, apprenticeship and vocational training are as follows:

State Incentive for Private Vocational High Schools

As of the 2012-2013 academic year, pursuant to Article 12 of the Law No. 5580 on Private Education Institutions, it has been possible to provide education and training support in an amount jointly determined by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance and the Ministry for students studying in vocational and technical education schools opened in Organized Industrial Zones (OIZ) or in vocational and technical education schools opened outside OIZ with the decision of the Presidency. Since the 2016-2017 academic year, students studying in private vocational and technical education schools opened outside OIZs have also started to benefit from education and training support.

State Contribution to Enterprises for Skill Training and Internship

It is ensured that 2/3 of the amount corresponding to at least 30% of the minimum wage paid to students by enterprises obliged to provide skills training and internship in enterprises is paid to employers as a state contribution. This paves the way for more enterprises to provide skills training and internship opportunities to more students. Payments are updated based on the minimum wage.

Other support may include social security (occupational accidents and occupational diseases insurance), passes (discounted transportation), free boarding for some students, lunch (Regulation on Free Boarding of Apprentice Students in Vocational Education Centers and Social Assistance and Management of Boarding Houses).

According to the MoNE Regulation on Access to Education through Transportation, primary and secondary school students and special education students/trainees who are likely to be deprived of their right to education are provided free of charge access to public schools/institutions within the scope of the student transportation practice, and free lunch service is provided to primary and secondary school students who are being transported within the scope of the practice, students studying in special education classes opened in transportation center schools and students studying in transportation center schools who are determined to be poor according to the data of the Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation.

Within the framework of the Law on Boarding or Scholarship Students in Primary and Secondary Education and Social Assistance to be provided to them, students who are determined to lack financial means in accordance with the provisions of the relevant law are provided with the opportunity of boarding and scholarship.

The amendment to the Law on Social Security and General Health Insurance ensures that vocational and technical secondary education students are insured against occupational accidents and diseases from the date they start their field training. Social insurance premiums of vocational open education students who do not have social security are paid by the Ministry from the date they start skills training in enterprises until the end of the training. In order to encourage adult citizens to learn to read and write or to study at the primary school level, the following support and facilities are provided to those who learn to read and write or attend primary school level courses in accordance with the Law on Bringing Illiterate Citizens Outside the Age of Compulsory Primary Education to a Literate Level or Providing Primary School Level Education for them:

• A student ID card is issued during the course
• Higher education children of needy persons who have attended and succeeded in the courses mentioned in this Law are given priority in granting loans.
• Children of mothers attending literacy or primary school level courses are given priority for admission to kindergartens and nursery schools of the institutions and organizations where they work.
• Literate people are given priority over illiterate people in employment.
• Those who are successful in literacy learning courses are given priority in cooperative or bank loans, seed and fertilizer allocation for one time only.
• Employees working in public institutions and organizations, private institutions and organizations and all kinds of workplaces who attend literacy courses shall be granted 60 hours of paid leave for one time only; those who attend primary school level courses shall be granted 100 hours of paid leave for one time only.

According to the Law on the Age of Compulsory Primary Education, incentive measures are taken by special administrations or municipalities for participants in literacy courses. Courses are organized to equip individuals in need of special education with knowledge and skills in vocational, technical, social and cultural fields, to bring them into life and to make them productive individuals. In the organization of courses, cooperation is made with the General Directorate of Special Education and Guidance Services, higher education institutions and relevant institutions and organizations. Within the scope of the Regulation on Lifelong Learning Institutions, special classes and groups can be formed for individuals with special education needs, and necessary measures are taken to ensure that they benefit from the courses attended by normal individuals.

Courses are organized for people in need of special education in order to provide them with knowledge and skills in vocational, technical, social, and cultural fields, to bring them to life and to make them productive individuals. In the organization of courses, cooperation is made with the General Directorate of Special Education and Guidance Services, higher education institutions and relevant institutions and organizations. Within the scope of the Regulation on Lifelong Learning Institutions, special classes and groups can be formed for individuals with special education needs, and necessary measures are taken to ensure that they benefit from the courses attended by normal individuals.

Public education centers offer sign language courses for teachers, students and families.