According to Article 18 of the Law No. 3308, in the workplaces in Turkey employing 10 or more personnel, not less than 5% of the number of personnel in the workplaces employing 10 or more personnel, vocational training and technical education school and institution students will be provided with skills training, vocational and technical education secondary education school and institution students will be provided with internship and complementary training.
In Turkey, in enterprises employing less than 10 personnel, it is possible to have skills training, internship and complementary vocational training within the framework of the provisions of this article.
According to Article 3 of the Law, the term “personnel” refers to permanent and contracted staff and workers working in public and private institutions, organisations and workplaces in return for salary or wages, and the term “students” refers to those who receive formal education in enterprises, vocational and technical education schools and institutions. The President of the Republic is authorised to reduce the 10 personnel criterion in the article to 5 personnel.
A convenience has been introduced to the obligation to provide vocational training in Turkey. With Article 24 of the Law, it is made possible for enterprises employing ten or more personnel and included in the scope of vocational training in enterprises by the ministry but not providing skills training to avoid the obligation to provide training by depositing 1/3 of the net amount of the minimum wage paid to those who have completed the age of 18 every month during the training period for each student who needs to have skills training, and 2/3 in case of employing twenty or more personnel.
In determining the number of employees, the number of employees in January of each year, if the enterprise is a summer enterprise, the number of employees working in July will be taken as basis. Within the scope of the Law, in workplaces that will provide skills training to 10 or more students, a training unit will be established under the supervision of a master instructor or training personnel who has a master’s qualification in his/her field and has received training in occupational pedagogy.
The following issues should also be taken into consideration about the students receiving skills training in workplaces:
– In addition to the skills training given in the workplace, they should be given paid leave to receive theoretical education at their schools, provided that it is not less than 12 hours a week. This leave is determined as two days.
– The wage to be paid to the students can be agreed by contracts, but in any case, this wage should not be less than 30% of the net amount of the minimum wage in workplaces employing twenty or more personnel and 15% in workplaces employing less than twenty personnel.
– Students should be given paid leave for one month each year, coinciding with the holiday months. Additionally, those whose excuses are approved by the school directorate may be granted unpaid leave for one month.
