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1. Information providers / counselling structures

2. Awareness raising initiatives

Information providers / counselling structures

General Directorate of Lifelong Learning is one of the public authorities providing guidance services for young people in the field of adult education. The public education centers within the General Directorate inform young people about widespread education opportunities. With 3,771 different course programs offered in 75 fields, young individuals have the opportunity to enhance their skills in their chosen areas for free. 

In the field of youth work, organizations that inform and provide widespread education opportunities for young people are the Youth Centers affiliated with the Ministry of Youth and Sports.  Youth Centers are densely organized locally, organizing youth studies and non-formal education activities for the youth and conducting awareness raising work on the importance of non-formal learning. 

Awareness raising initiatives

In order to raise awareness of the importance of lifelong learning for individuals and promote a culture of lifelong learning in Turkish society, various activities are organized annually through public education centers. Programs are broadcasted on TV, radio and social media platforms to increase awareness of lifelong learning within the community.

Public Education Centers Information Network (HEMBA) has been established to reach to young people. Citizens are able to access courses for free. The content on the Public Education Centers Information Network (HEMBA) Platform will be increased to enhance access to lifelong learning opportunities by minimizing the limitations of education through distance learning technologies (time, location, cost). 

Besides, a new web-portal which announces the Life-Long Learning opportunities and offers the possibility for applying these opportunities is in place. This web-portal (https://hbo.meb.gov.tr/portal/) is widely used by young people.

General Directorate of Lifelong Learning aims to:

• "Learning Festivals" will continue to be celebrated in all provinces annually. 
• Global progress in lifelong learning will be monitored and general, vocational, and technical education course programs will be updated and adapted to current needs to promote lifelong education and training. 
• Widespread education course programs will be developed to foster skill development aligned with future employment needs in climate change, green technologies, digital transformation, energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable agriculture. 
• Disaster and emergency-related widespread education courses will be organized to ensure the preparedness of society for disasters, reduce risks and enhance the capacity for rapid response. 
• Efforts will be made to facilitate access to education for individuals who have transitioned beyond the formal education age and have been unable to complete their studies for various reasons in order to help them complete their education through open education schools. 
• Resources such as integration training, language support and cultural awareness programs will be utilized in order to ensure equal and inclusive support in education for foreign nationals in our country and facilitate their adaptation to the Turkish education system. This aims to maximize their benefits from formal and informal education opportunities.

In the National Youth and Sport Policy Document (Ulusal Gençlik ve Spor Politikası Belgesi), it is accepted to take necessary measures for the youths who could not enjoy the right to education for any reason to avail themselves of the vocational and non-formal education opportunities within the scope of lifelong learning strategy in terms of increasing awareness on the non-formal education opportunities before the youth. In the context of policy on improving non-formal education possibilities and strengthening the sense of lifelong learning, the following targets are included:

Targets

• To improve vocational knowledge and skills of people through education programs like in-service training etc.

• To increase practices aimed at internalisation of ethic values.

• To generalise informative, educative activities like courses, seminars, workshops etc. for different sections of the society, families, housewives, youth in line with the sense of lifelong education.

• To present new opportunities to the youth who are outside the formal education or dropped out of the education program that are in line with the sense of lifelong education.

• To support works that will improve reading and writing habits of the youth, encourage the use of library and facilitate the access to libraries.