A modular training project for vocational education and improvement in Turkey Rıdvan Arslan, Yücel Tekin, Murat Yazıcı, Abdil Kus ¸ and Z.Gökay Kaynak Abstract: Various vocational training methods, most of which overlap with lifelong learning programmes, are being used to address the problem of unemployment – an issue of vital importance, especially for developing countries. This article examines the introduction of a modular certification project in Turkey supported by EU training funds. The objective of the project is to enable people who are unemployed to find work and people in employment to improve their professional skills and competences, and therefore their opportunities. The researchers observed the employment status and development of the 245 people who received a certificate. They found that 89% either had found work in a sector consistent with their training, thanks to their participation in the project, or had to taken up a different position in their current field of employment. Keywords: certification; employment; lifelong learning; modular training; Turkey Dr Rıdvan Arslan is with Vocational School of Technical Sciences, Uludag ˇ University, Gorukle 16059, Bursa, Turkey. E-mail: ridvan@uludag.edu.tr. DrYücel Tekin, Dr Murat Yazıcı, and Dr Abdil Kus ¸ are also with the Vocational School of Technical Sciences at Uludag ˇ University. E-mail: ytekin@uludag.edu.tr; myazici@uludag.edu.tr; abdilkus@uludag.edu.tr. Professor Z. Gökay Kaynak is with the Faculty of Art and Sciences at Uludag ˇ University. E-mail: kaynak@uludag.edu.tr. Turkey has a population of 72 million, estimated to rise to about 82 million by 2015. There are some 13 million students at the formal primary and secondary education levels, with more than 500,000 teachers (Aksit, 2007). There are about 1.5 million students in general high schools and 820,000 students in vocational/technical high schools. The combined general and vocational/ technical high school enrolment rate is 73.3% of the age group (UNDP, 2004). Given that educational institutions are the source of the workforce for business and industry, different strategies and roadmaps have been formulated to ensure an appropriately qualified labour force. The nationwide dissemination of these strategies by means of policy initiatives and legislation is essential for both higher education institutions and the industrial and service sectors (Tekin et al, 2006). Hujer et al (2006) have studied the effect of short-term, job-specific training on the duration of individual unemployment in Germany, noting that such training measures are a key aspect of German labour market policy. According to data obtained provided by the Turkish Statistics Institution (TSI), in July 2007 the non- agricultural unemployment rate was 11.6%. The number INDUSTRY & HIGHER EDUCATION Vol 23, No 2, April 2009, pp 127–132