SESRIC organised a Workshop on “Strengthening TVET Strategies to Increase Youth Employment in OIC Member Countries” on 19-20 November 2024 at its headquarters in Ankara, Türkiye. The event was organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Education of Malaysia and the Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Türkiye as part of the SESRIC Project on “Empowering Youth through Enhancing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET): A Pathway to Employment and Success,” funded by the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) under the 11th Call for Project Proposals.

The workshop brought together 21 participants from national TVET institutions in 11 OIC countries, along with representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the COMCEC Coordination Office (CCO). It aimed to share experiences, highlight best practices, and provide a deeper understanding of various TVET strategies to help policymakers and practitioners in OIC countries develop and implement effective TVET strategies to increase youth employment.

The meeting commenced with opening remarks by representatives of SESRIC and the COMCEC Coordination Office (CCO). Mr. Mazhar HUSSAIN, Director of the Economic and Social Research Department at SESRIC, expressed SESRIC’s gratitude to COMCEC’s guidance and support, underlining the immense value of the efforts and commitments to the objectives and benefits of the project for the OIC countries. He also briefed the participants on SESRIC’s efforts in the domain of TVET conducted within the framework of the OIC-VET Programme.

The opening session proceeded with remarks by Mr. Mehmet Celalettin AKTAŞ, Director of the Programmes and Projects Department at CCO, who praised SESRIC’s successful implementation of the project and underscored the critical role of TVET strategies in contributing to the sustainable socio-economic development of OIC countries.

The workshop covered the following key topics:

• Employment Status of Youth in OIC Member Countries
• Effective Vocational Education and Training Strategies to Reduce Youth Unemployment in the OIC Member Countries
• Enhancing Policies and Strategies for Effective TVET Systems in OIC Member Countries: Experiences and Perspectives of UNDP Türkiye
• Country Experiences from the OIC Africa Group: Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, and Senegal
• Country Experiences from the OIC Arab Group: Jordan, Libya, Palestine, and Qatar
• Country Experiences from the OIC Asia Group: Malaysia, Pakistan, and Türkiye

The workshop concluded with a certificate ceremony and the adoption of a list of recommendations that would help the participating OIC countries in their endeavours to progress in the TVET domain and reduce youth unemployment in their countries.

The COMCEC Coordination Office (CCO) introduced the COMCEC Project Funding (CPF) in 2013, as a financing mechanism that funds projects submitted by the OIC member countries and relevant OIC Institutions. The funding is provided in the form of a grant through the Development and Investment Bank of the Republic of Türkiye, a main body in the CPF scheme. Since the initiation of CPF, SESRIC has implemented 16 projects under various cooperation areas and sectoral themes determined by the CCO. For more details about SESRIC projects funded by the COMCEC, please visit: https://www.sesric.org/tcd-activities-projects-funded.php.

The presentations of the training course are available at this link.

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