Project Description
Rationale
According to 2018 figures, Turkey hosts 3.6m Syrians under Temporary Protection (SuTP). The Southeast Anatolia Region of Turkey along with the Adana, Mersin and Hatay provinces in the Mediterranean Region are most impacted by this situation, both from a social and from an economic perspective. Assessments conducted by various actors highlight the relatively low skills levels among SuTP, which significantly overlap with the skills of host communities in these areas. This points to possible competition, particularly for low-skilled jobs and those filled by women, with a risk of increasing tensions between the two groups. A high number of SuTP work in informal jobs where they tend to replace Turkish workers due to lower wages and worsened work conditions. Youth unemployment has reached up to 40% in certain regions, two times above country average. Moreover, the majority of unemployed youth is not enrolled in any educational or training programmes, leading to an increased sense of exclusion, which in turn further fuels tensions.
Assessments highlight that current job vacancies are not sufficient to match the increase in labour supply. A study conducted by UNDP underlined that in the most affected regions, there is a need to create at least 260,000 jobs to maintain current employment levels. The study also highlights several possible intervention areas to contribute to this goal, incl. improvements in key value chains and support for core actors in the local industrial ecosystems (i.e. SMEs, business unions, support facilities, etc.). If financially and technically supported in a strategic way, SMEs and large enterprises have significant potential to generate additional job opportunities not only for SuTP but also Turkish host community members. In this sense, the design and delivery of vocational training programs can be an effective tool to address both demand and supply side issues and provide livelihood opportunities for SuTP.
Leveraging the long-lasting thematic experience and know-how of UNDP on local socio-economic development accumulated in the Southeast Anatolia Region of Turkey in the context of the Syrian crisis response, EBRD worked with UNDP in 2017 and 2018 to facilitate the establishment and operationalisation of a Vocational Training and Testing Centre in Gaziantep in collaboration with the Gaziantep Chamber of Industry. Since 2016, the Centre is fully operational and has been providing specialised occupational capability development services to SuTP hosted in Gaziantep as well as members of the local community. To date, 500+ Syrians and host community members have received vocational trainings, with almost 50% of them finding formal employment in the local economy afterwards.
Building on the experience in Gaziantep, EBRD and UNDP have agreed to collaborate on the “Establishment and Operationalisation of a Vocational Training Centre in Adana”, in collaboration with Adana Chamber of Industry (ADASO) as the lead beneficiary as well as with other relevant stakeholders such as Çukurova Development Agency, and provincial directorates of ISKUR (The Employment Agency) and KOSGEB (SME Development Agency). The new project will design and operationalise a full-scale Training and Testing Centre from scratch, serving the strategically important larger Adana-Mersin area as a regional hub. TVET modules will be designed based on the explicit needs of local SMEs, and will be closely integrated with complementary initiatives such as UNDP and ADASO’s Innovation and SME Capability Centres to achieve even greater impact for the local economy.
TC Services
The overall objective of this project is to provide ADASO with high calibre technical assistance and consultancy services for the establishment and operationalisation of Adana Vocational Training Centre. Once established, the Centre will both target the demand and supply side of the local economy through a well-established business model, a viable business plan and an impact and client-oriented service delivery.
TC services encompass five complementary components which will be customized according to the local needs in Adana and its economic geography. Each Component is designed through a results-oriented holistic approach and will be implemented in close coordination and collaboration with ASADO and all relevant local stakeholders, including but not limited to Çukurova Development Agency, ISKUR and KOSGEB as well as other partners (i.e. NGOs, public/private sector institutions) which provide similar vocational training services to SuTP.
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Component #1: Sectoral and Field Level Analyses: Component #1 aims at developing the analytical basis of the initiative upon which other Components will be developed and implemented
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Component #2: Business Modelling and Planning: The overall objective of Component #2 is to conceptualise the tailor-made business model of the VET Centre and develop its business plan through which the service packages of the Centre will be delivered.
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Component #3: Design and Customization of VET Modules: Based on the needs of the local labour market as well as the demand arising from the local SMEs, component #3 aims to design and where applicable customize the VET modules to be delivered by the Centre. The project will benefit from the existing VET modules which have already been developed by the UNDP w/in the scope of other projects/initiatives implemented the UNDP.
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Component #4: Capability Development and Mentorship: This component will provide Adana Chamber of Industry with the required capabilities and competencies to best operate the VET Centre and deliver its services effectively. The sustainability of the Centre is another critical issue that this component will be addressing.
- Component #5: Technical Assistance for Certification: This component aims to support Adana Chamber of Industry and Adana VET Centre in accomplishing necessary procedures in compliance with the certification and accreditation processes for functioning as a VOC Test Centre.
Any competitive selections for business opportunities relating to this project will be published on the EBRD's website: Consultancy Procurement Opportunities.
Email: eSelection@ebrd.com
General enquiries
EBRD project enquiries not related to procurement:
Tel: +44 20 7338 7168
Email: projectenquiries@ebrd.com
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