Minister Özer said during his speech at the ceremony that the school was opened as a result of the cooperation protocol signed with the Demirören media.
"Today, we are opening the first and only media vocational and technical high school of Türkiye. Also, we are opening a vocational education center in cooperation with a private sector company for the first time," stated Minister Özer.
Özer noted that the newly opened school is an education platform where the private sector company will raise human resources that will respond to its own needs.
Reminding that vocational education passed through a troubled period due to practices that prevented graduates of vocational high schools from enrolling in universities in early 2000s, Özer said the Ministry of National Education worked in an effort to rehabilitate and reinforce vocational and technical education after the lift of these practices.
"Our final step as a part of this effort is paradigm shift and including labor market representatives to the education process. We are cooperating with the private sector in planning the whole education process, updating the curriculum and organizing training programs of vocational high school teachers," said Özer.
"Academically successful students preferred some of our vocational high schools"
Minister Özer noted that preventing high school graduates from enrolling in university programs had a long term negative impact and academically successful students did not prefer vocational education.
"In the past, unsuccessful students were enrolled in vocational schools but this has changed as a result of our campaigns carried out in cooperation with the private sector. Students show a gradual tendency to enroll in vocational educational institutions. For example, successful students who receive highest grades in the High School Entrance System (LGS) exams prefer to enroll in vocational technical high schools such as ASELSAN, Teknopark and İTÜ vocational high schools.
Revolving fund income of vocational and technical high schools increased from 200 million to 1 billion and 162 million
Özer said that the production capacity of vocational education increased, adding that revolving fund income of vocational and technical high schools increased from 200 million to 1 billion and 162 million in 2021. Vocational education institutions in all 81 cities of the country produced most needed products such as masks, disinfectants and disposable overalls during the Covid-19 pandemic.
55th R&D centers established in the Demirören Media Vocational and Technical Anatolia High School
Minister Özer also talked about the intellectual property rights activities carried out in the vocational and technical high schools.
"We have founded 54 R&D centers as a part of our intellectual and industrial property rights activities. We have managed to register 7,200 patents, useful models, brands and designs till now. Today, we are establishing the 55th R&D center in the Demirören Media Vocational and Technical Anatolia High School," stated Özer.
Success stories of vocational education
Minister Özer said that vocational education is recently known with success stories adding that the employment rate of vocational education centers reached 88 percent.
Reminding that amendment in the Vocational Education Law no. 3308 on December 25, 2021 turned vocational education as an important instrument in decreasing the young unemployment rate in the country, Özer said, "Vocational education centers turned into an attractive mechanism for both employers and students. Students are getting monthly salaries and they are insured against occupational illnesses and accidents."
Vocational education center at the Media High School
The Ministry of National Education also signed another cooperation agreement with Demirören Media for opening a vocational education center at the newly opened Media Vocational and Technical Anatolia High School.