Technical and Vocational Education and Training as a tool against child labour

Ankara, 12 June 2018- On the World Day Against Child Labour, UNICEF and TESK released a video on the role of technical and vocational training in keeping children at risk of child labour in education.The video focuses on the fact that apprentices are not workers but studentsand underlines the protective and supportive features of the technical and vocational training system in Turkey. 

Child labour prevents children of all ages from going to school, takes them away from their families, and limits their time for play and recreation. Child labour, especially in its worst forms,harms the mental, social, physical and psychological development of children.
 
Turkey has made tremendous progress on reducing the number of children engaged in labour since the early 1990s. However, an estimated 900.000 Turkish children remain engaged in child labour of whom about 44% work in seasonal agriculture. The statistics also reveal that almost 50 % of these children do not attend school. With the Syrian conflict now in its 8^th year, an increasing number of refugee children in Turkey have also engaged in child labour.
 
UNICEF and TESK developed a special programme targeting small and medium enterprises (SME) on the importance of technical and vocational education and training. The programme aims to contribute to the elimination of child labour in SMEs by ensuring the provision of a supportive and safe learning environment for children during their apprenticeship. The partnership supports SMEs to follow the required occupational health and security measures so that they can provide safe learning opportunities for children and prepare them for a better future. 
 
Philippe Duamelle, UNICEF Representative to Turkey declared, “Child labour deprives children of their childhood and prevents them from realizing their potential. Elimination of child labour requires the commitment of all stakeholders including employers. UNICEF highly values the partnership with TESK as we can together contribute to protect children from child labour and give them a better future”.
 
The video developed by UNICEF and TESK to underline that apprentices are not workers but students is available here.