“MOBILIZATION” FOR OUR YOUTH CONTINUES IN THE NATIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
The pilot implementation of the Program was carried out in 2020 and was included in the Presidency’s 2021 Annual Program and expanded to all public institutions. In the same year, more than 135 thousand young people applied to the Program, and over 90 thousand young people were sent internship offers. Nearly 45 thousand young people, who were contacted with the institutions where they would do their internships, received their first wages from the state.
The Program, which aims to support the employability of our young people, who play a key role in our country’s regional and global leadership , and to ensure their access to internship opportunities on the basis of equal opportunities, has been cited as
an exemplary practice by the OECD to its member countries for 2 years in a row. With its transparent, objective and questionable nature, supported by innovative measurement and evaluation models, based on interaction between stakeholders and providing a wide range of internship opportunities, it was included as an exemplary practice in the OECD’s Governance for Youth, Trust and Intergenerational Justice Report dated 22 October 2020.
In addition, it was one of the three projects introduced in the field of “support measures implemented to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on labor markets and young people” in the OECD’s policy document titled “What Did Countries Do to Support Youth during the COVID-19 Crisis?” dated 6 July 2021.
The Program, which demonstrates the importance our country attaches to talent management to the entire world; It supports the personal development of our young people by providing them with the opportunity to experience the world of work before graduation, to gain a deeper understanding of areas where they can be successful, and to apply their theoretical knowledge and skills in the field.
As its scope has been expanded in line with our country's employment policies, the program, which will continue under the name "National Internship Program," continues to attract strong interest from young people, and the participation of volunteer employers from all public institutions and the private sector continues to increase.
The program is open to applications from young people pursuing associate and undergraduate degrees in our country, as well as Turkish citizens and Blue Card holders pursuing undergraduate education abroad.
Our institutions and organizations in Turkey, as well as our Embassies, Permanent Representatives, Consulates General, and international representatives of our public institutions, can offer internships to young people applying from abroad.
Another innovation in the program, which aims to provide the same opportunities to young people pursuing different levels of education in the coming years, is that students of vocational and technical secondary education institutions in Organized Industrial Zones will also be eligible to apply this year.
This will facilitate the access of SMEs, which play a significant role in youth employment, to the qualified human resources they need, while also supporting students of vocational and technical secondary education institutions in accessing internship opportunities, which are critical to their employability.
The legal rights of all students starting their internships will be respected, and insurance and internship fees will be paid in accordance with Article 25 of Vocational Education Law No. 3308.
Employers present internship offers to candidates without seeing their personal information, and thus, our young people become talents who "choose the institution where they will intern" rather than "waiting to be selected" by accepting the offers they receive.
APPLICATION DETAILS
Students who wish to apply to the program can follow the announcements and details on the official Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook accounts of the Presidential Human Resources Office and the National Internship Program (@tccbiko - @ulusalstajprg) and official websites (cbiko.gov.tr - kariyerkapisi.cbiko.gov.tr).
Applications for the National Internship Program are submitted through the national digital platform "Career Gate," which integrates with e-Government. All young people studying at home or abroad can apply with a single click.
For the first time in Türkiye, in the evaluation process of students; Academic/vocational, artistic/social, and athletic proficiency scores are calculated using the information and documents shared during the application process. Since employers send internship offers based on proficiency scores, the information/documents shared by young people during the application process play a significant role in their access to internship opportunities suited to their skills and competencies.
A wide range of information, such as grade point average, department, and foreign language score, can be transferred directly through e-Government. Studies not included in e-Government can be declared with documents uploaded to the system. The verification process for documents obtained through the declaration method is carried out by the university career centers and relevant public institutions.
OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
In the National Internship Program, evaluations are conducted by taking into account students' lifetime performance, work they have undertaken to improve their skills, and their achievements, rather than exams that measure instantaneous performance. The proficiency scores calculated for each student are added to their profiles. Candidates' profiles are kept confidential, and their identity and contact information are accessible to employers. They are transferred to the “intern pool.” Furthermore, the names of the students’ universities and their gender information are not included.
Employers present internship offers without seeing candidates’ personal information, and this way, our young people become talents who “choose their internship institution” rather than “waiting to be selected” by accepting offers.
APPLICATION DETAILS
Students who wish to apply to the program can follow announcements and details via the Presidential Human Resources Office and the National Internship Program’s official Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook accounts (@tccbiko - @ulusalstajprg) and official websites (kariyerkapisi.gov.tr).
