SATSO and Sakarya Provincial Directorate of National Education to Cooperate in Vocational Training

A “Vocational and Technical Education Cooperation Protocol” was signed between the Sakarya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SATSO) and the Sakarya Provincial Directorate of National Education.

A.Akgün Altuğ-Coşkun Bakırtaş

The signing ceremony took place at SATSO with the participation of SATSO Chairman of the Board A. Akgün Altuğ, Sakarya Provincial Director of National Education Coşkun Bakırtaş, Deputy Chairman of the Commission on Future Professions and Vocational Education Yiğit Ateş, SATSO Assembly members, and Commission members.

The protocol aims to align vocational education fields with the needs of the industry, modernize workshops and laboratories in line with current technologies, support teachers’ professional development, enhance students’ skills, and prepare graduates for professional life as well-equipped, competitive, and productive individuals.

Sakarya is a production city

Speaking at the signing ceremony, SATSO Chairman of the Board A. Akgün Altuğ said: “Sakarya is a production city. Production represents a broad ecosystem, and the most important element of this ecosystem is human resources. It is of great importance that qualified human resources take part in this ecosystem in harmony. As the Sakarya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, we continue to fulfill our responsibilities in this field."

Sakarya Provincial Director of National Education Coşkun Bakırtaş expressed his gratitude to SATSO and stated: “Sakarya is one of the provinces with the highest rate of vocational high schools within the scope of Turkey’s targeted education policy. The number of our vocational high schools exceeds that of general secondary education institutions. We attach great importance to such collaborations to ensure that students in these schools are directed toward employment. We are working intensively to open departments that will be needed by newly established enterprises in Sakarya in the short, medium, and long term, in order to train the intermediate and main staff demanded by the industry. We have transformed SATSO Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School into a thematic information technologies high school, thus creating a center for students who want to study in the IT field in Sakarya. I believe this protocol will give great momentum to vocational education processes in our city.”

We have 44 vocational high schools in our province

Deputy Chairman of the Commission on Future Professions and Vocational Education, Yiğit Ateş, added: “One of the most significant problems in the sector is the shortage of intermediate staff. This issue causes serious challenges. Together with our commission members, we developed a project by considering the demands of more than 18,000 SATSO members. Accordingly, the top four professions most in demand were identified as welding, CNC operation, electrical and electronic components, and assembly work. We have 44 vocational high schools in our province. With this project, it will be possible for our vocational schools to specialize in line with the needs of the business world and to integrate new technologies into education. We believe this cooperation will also serve as a model for our country.”