Ankara workshops train 40 Turks and 34 foreign nationals together

In a joint program by the Presidency of Migration Management and the Ankara Chamber of Industry Continuing Education Center (ASO-SEM), Turkish citizens and foreigners under protection are learning five trades, from CNC operation to welding, in training that began on September 28. The EU-funded project, coordinated by IOM, is planned to expand from Ankara to nine more provinces.

Turkish citizens and foreigners living under temporary or international protection in Türkiye are learning trades in the same workshops in the ASO 1st Organized Industrial Zone in Ankara's Sincan district. According to data released by the Presidency of Migration Management, 74 trainees—40 Turkish citizens and 34 foreigners—were attending the courses as of October, following their start on September 28, 2026. The trainees are receiving instruction in CNC operation, electronics, automation, welding and sewing.

The program's official opening was held on November 5 at the Ankara Chamber of Industry Continuing Education Center (ASO-SEM). The ceremony was attended by President of Migration Management Muhammet Selami Yazıcı, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Türkiye Mission Chief Gerard Karl Waite, Sincan District Governor Levent Kılıç and Gölbaşı District Governor Erol Rüstemoğlu, along with ASO and ASO 1st OIZ administrators, industrialists and trainees. The cooperation agreement between the Presidency of Migration Management and ASO-SEM had been signed on August 25.

EU funding, IOM coordination

The training is part of the “Promoting Sustainable and Socially Inclusive Labour Market Integration” project, financed under the European Union's Facility for Refugees in Türkiye (FRIT). Also known as the “Employability Project,” the program is implemented by IOM, with the Presidency of Migration Management, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Social Security Institution, the Turkish Employment Agency and the Ministry of National Education among its implementing partners. The project began in April 2024 and will run until April 2028, with the main aim of increasing registered employment among Turkish citizens and people under protection.

According to a plan shared by ASO, a total of 110 trainees will receive training in 10 different fields during the project's first phase: 55 Turkish citizens and 55 people under temporary or international protection. The ASO 1st OIZ administration announced that a further 110 trainees are planned to join the program in the second phase after the first phase. The Presidency of Migration Management also said it aims to increase the number of trainees in Ankara to 120. Alongside vocational training, participants are receiving personal development and occupational health and safety training.

ASO-SEM'de CNC tezgâhının kontrol panelinde çalışan bir kursiyer

After the opening speeches, President Yazıcı and protocol members toured the workshops at ASO-SEM and observed the training on site. Photographs shared by the Presidency of Migration Management show trainees working at CNC machines, automation panels and sewing machines.

“Producing together, prospering together”

President of Migration Management Yazıcı said they viewed employment as a fundamental element of participation in economic life and education as one of the most important tools for achieving lasting results. Yazıcı said, “Developing a person's vocational skills does not merely open a door to a job. It gives that person the opportunity to build their own life, contribute to their family's livelihood and take their place as a productive member of the society in which they live.”

Highlighting the fact that Turkish citizens and foreigners share the same classrooms, Yazıcı said strong social ties develop over time among people who contribute to the same production process, adding: “Producing together, prospering together and contributing together to our future are among the strongest foundations of social cohesion.” According to information provided by Yazıcı, training will also be conducted in Adana, Konya, Bursa, Gaziantep, Mersin, Şanlıurfa, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş and Kocaeli, in addition to Ankara. Work is also being carried out to certify the trainees' vocational qualifications and help them enter employment.

Skilled workers sought by industry

Ercan Ata, deputy chair of the ASO Board of Directors, emphasized that the project directly responds to industry’s need for workers: “As ASO, we support individuals under temporary and international protection in Türkiye in joining the registered workforce after receiving qualified training, particularly in occupations where employers have difficulty finding workers. Our project offers the same opportunity to Turkish citizens who need employment.” Ata also said ASO aims, through an inclusive entrepreneurship and business support center project planned with international cooperation and expected to last 18 months, to contribute to the establishment of 20 new businesses and the employment of 173 people.

IOM Türkiye Mission Chief Waite said the project improves the skills of both Turkish citizens and migrants and people under temporary protection. Ersoy Günay, deputy director general of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security's Directorate General for Foreign Relations and European Union Affairs, said the training provides participants with new vocational skills. According to a June 2026 briefing note from the EU Delegation to Türkiye, more than 110,000 refugees and host-community members have enrolled in vocational skills training since EU support in the livelihoods sector began, while more than 31,000 new or improved jobs have been created through employability support.

Photos: Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Interior, Presidency of Migration Management

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Ankara workshops train 40 Turks and 34 foreign nationals together