The Skillman Network was invited to participate in an international conference and project closing event for the establishment of a Sectoral VET Competence Development Center in the Electricity Distribution Sector. The conference was held on February 22, 2024, at Point Hotel Ankara, with a keynote speech by Mr. Giovanni Crisona. The conference focused on "public-private collaboration in VET", but other VET-related topics were also discussed. Mr. Crisona's presentation highlighted "Best Practices in Public-Private Sector Cooperation in Vocational Education and Training".
The conference included opening speeches by representatives from Elder, an association of 21 electricity distribution system operator companies in Turkey, who employ more than 60.000 people, EU Delegation, Ministry of Labor and Social Security of Türkiye, and Ministry of National Education of Türkiye. Keynotes were also delivered by Mr. Nedim TÜZÜN, Deputy General Manager of Dicle Electricity Distribution Inc.. The conference also featured a panel discussion on "Best Practices in Public-Private Sector Cooperation in Vocational Education and Training" moderated by Mr. Atacan GÜLBAY. Panelists included representatives from the Ministry of National Education, MTEGM, NGOs, universities, and private sector. The event concluded with a presentation of project results by Efe MISIRLI, Project Coordinator, and plaque presentation and closing.
The project was co-funded by the European Union and the Republic of Türkiye within the Grant Program: Improving the Quality of Vocational Education and Training (VET) Through Establishment of Sectoral Centres of Excellence. The contracting authority was the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Human Resources Development Operational Structure of Türkiye, and the beneficiary was the Ministry of National Education of Türkiye. The project duration was 25 months, with a budget of € 599.090,80. The project manager was Elder - Association of Electricity Distribution System Operators.
The general objective of the project was to increase the quality of vocational and technical education by establishing and activating a Vocational Education and Training Sectoral Competence Development Center within Elder, in the field of Electricity and Electricity Distribution. Additionally, 163 vocational teachers in the field of Electrical and Electronics working for the Ministry of Education received 10-day on-the-job training in the facilities of electricity distribution companies. An E-Learning platform was established within Elder, and a training program consisting of 10 modules was prepared in the field of Fundamentals of Electricity Distribution, completed by 163 vocational teachers. Furthermore, 35 vocational teachers in the field of Electrical and Electronics received a one-week on-the-job training in the field of electricity production and distribution from renewable sources in Spain. Information meetings were held about vocational training and career opportunities in the field of electricity distribution at 20 vocational and technical high schools across Turkey, reaching 1336 ninth grade students and their teachers. Five cooperation protocols were signed between Elder and Vocational and Technical High Schools to support vocational education in the field of electricity distribution. Face-to-face and online training programs were organized to improve the institutional capacity of Elder and its stakeholders.
