The Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) is launching a Turkish vocational training mobilization in northern Syria to facilitate the voluntary return to the region and increase employment.
The project, which will start at the end of November, is expected to increase employment in the safe zones and will be applied through courses that will guarantee jobs. Instructors will travel to the region from Kilis and Gaziantep provinces. YEE head Şeref Ateş said that all youth with a Turkish level of B1 can apply to the courses without charge.
The courses to be offered in Jarablus, Azaz, al-Bab and Afrin will be under 20 main topics.
The YEE, acting in partnership with local governments as well as the chambers of industry and commerce of their regions, will determine the course quota according to staff numbers. The training will be open to people from every ethnicity, origin and religion. At the end of the courses, employment will increase, as well as the level of welfare throughout the region. The concern of “employment uncertainty” of refugees in Türkiye who contemplate returning will be significantly eliminated with this project.
Underlining the importance of knowing at least B1 Turkish, Ateş said: “It is highly important that we establish a common language of communication and education there. Because all the infrastructure and superstructure works are carried out entirely by our state. We attach great importance to this.”
Ateş reiterated that voluntary returns have been increasing thanks to Türkiye’s successful policies and continued: “We undertake an important mission in this regard with our centers in the region. This is a region where 5 million people live. Thanks to vocational training, we will also prevent youth from getting involved in terrorist activities and networks. We will offer them a new alternative and a new vision.
“If we can take such steps and offer young people a vision of the future, we will eliminate terrorism in these areas. We are opening a wide range of employment opportunities in this region, from electricians to furniture manufacturers.”
Türkiye has been home to some 3.7 million Syrians who fled persecution and brutality in their country when the civil war broke out in 2011 after the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. A decade of fighting has left at least half a million Syrians dead and more than 14 million in need of humanitarian aid.
In the country’s north, Ankara helped Assad’s opposition sustain moderate ground against regime forces while starting in 2016, Turkish counterterrorism operations Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch and Spring Shield liberated swathes of territory from terrorist groups like the PKK and its U.S.-backed Syrian branch, the YPG, and enabled the safe resettlement of civilians.
Some 554,000 Syrians have returned from Türkiye to the region, now improved with new schools, hospitals, organized industrial sites and better infrastructure.
Employers in southern Turkish provinces bordering Syria are also eager to open businesses in their neighboring country, starting in safe zones, which will boost the commercial scene and create jobs for the region’s locals.
