Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer attended the opening ceremony of Ankara Aviation and Space Technologies Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School. He also attended the signing ceremony of the cooperation protocol with the Defense Industry Agency.

 

Minister Özer wished Allah's mercy upon soldiers who were martyred in Şırnak and expressed his condolences to their families.

 

Emphasizing that Türkiye's recent moves in the defense industry are closely followed by the Ministry of National Education, Özer stated that successful students were prevented from going to vocational high schools with the interventions made during the February 28 process. Özer said that these circles trying to manipulate Türkiye have been finally dismantled after twelve years.

 

Expressing his gratitude to all ministers for their great efforts to strengthen vocational education after 2012, Özer emphasized that, unlike the ministers before him, he had followed a different approach. Özer said that they asked the representatives of the sector to invest in their achievements and in the school instead of building schools and laboratories. Stating that they propose to update the curriculum together and plan the professional development training of teachers and skills training of students together, Özer stated that they desire as much guarantee in terms of employment as possible. Özer said that they have opened up new areas in line with the Türkiye's development.

 

Stating that no training has been given in the field of defense industry before, Özer reminded that for the first time, in cooperation with the Defense Industry Agency, they developed a comprehensive model ensuring employment, including higher education and allowing the experts in the field to attend the course. Özer stressed that they reversed the situation in the February 28 process and provided the most successful students from the top 1 percent to be admitted to ASELSAN Technical Anatolian High School for the first time. Özer said that this development has spread to other areas.

 

Referring to the production capacity of vocational high schools within the scope of revolving funds, Minister Özer said that the production capacity of vocational high schools has risen from 200 million in 2018-2019 to 2 billion in 2022. Özer noted that they aim to raise this number to 3 and a half billion in 2023.

 

Pointing out that vocational high schools carry out studies on intellectual property, Özer said that these high schools are commercialized by obtaining patent, utility model, brand and design registrations. Reminding that the number of registered products purchased by the Ministry of National Education within the scope of intellectual property is 2.9 per year, Özer stated that they received the registration of 8,300 products in 2022 and 182 of them were commercialized. Özer stated that in addition to following the curriculum, the students follow the developments in the world and the labor market as well.

 

Expressing that Türkiye is now becoming a country that can produce in the field of defense industry, Özer said that the school will be named after Özdemir Bayraktar Aviation and Space Technologies Vocational and Technical High School as he worked under difficult conditions in order to carry out Türkiye's first domestic and national production in the field of aviation and space.

 

Referring to the point that vocational training centers have reached, Özer reminded that they have developed an attractive vocational training model for both employers and young people who will attend the vocational training centers. Özer noted that in a short period of one year, the number of apprentices in vocational training centers in Türkiye has reached from 159 thousand to 1 million 400 thousand.

 

Stating that they have developed a mechanism related to vocational education that they can find in the field, Minister Özer said that from now on, Türkiye will step by step towards its ideal as being a country that produces with these strong breakthroughs. Stating that as the Ministry of National Education, they will continue to exist in every new field in vocational education and strengthen the sector, Minister Özer said that the point reached today is one of the most concrete examples of this ideal. Özer wished the school to be beneficial for the country and thanked everyone who contributed to the opening of the aviation and space technology vocational high school.

 

Stating that they attach great importance to vocational and technical high schools, President of Defense Industry Agency İsmail Demir said that they are mobilizing with all defense industry companies in this regard.

 

Pointing out that industrial companies should take responsibility for vocational education related to their fields, President Demir said that qualified manpower refers to the employees who can actually work from the day they graduate and have the qualifications sought in the market. Stating that they aim students in these schools to have very important competencies after they graduated, Demir said that in comparison with many vocational high schools on aircraft maintenance, this high school is more special as it includes the word 'space'. Noting that the school and its students will be in the air, Demir stressed that they aim students to become sought-after employees in our country considering the skills, experience and talents they acquire.

 

Deputy Minister of National Education Sadri Şensoy, said that they believe that the students who will graduate from this school will contribute to the projects in the field of aircraft.

 

Stating that, stated that young people will be privileged blue-collar in defense industry with the curriculum to be applied in high school, Director General of the MEB Vocational and Technical Education Nazan Şener said that young people will be able to take part in the sector as well-equipped white-collar workers in case they want to get university education.

 

After the official opening and ribbon cutting ceremony, Minister Özer and President of Defense Industry Agency Demir signed the cooperation protocol and toured the high school.

 

Deputy Ministers Sadri Şensoy, Petek Aşkar and Osman Sezgin and the Governor of Ankara Vasip Şahin also attended the ceremony.