Announcement of Turkey to Establish Additional Technician Training Centers and Increase Skilled Manpower on March 24, 1988

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 'NorldBank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A. BANK NEWS RELEASE NO. 88/55 Contact: Fawzi Rihane (202) 473-2675 TURKEY TO ESTABLISH ADDITIONAL TECHNICIAN TRAINING CENTERS, INCREASE SKILLED MANPOWER WASHINGTON, March 24, 1988 -- To meet its urgent need for well-trained technicians and skilled manpower, Turkey will invest $165.8 million in technical education. The World Bank is supporting the project with a loan of $115.8 million. To maintain the success of its export drive, Turkey has to increase the number of well-trained technicians and other skilled technical workers for industry. The government also needs more trained staff in the tourism sector, an increasingly important source of foreign exchange earnings for the country. The project is designed to meet these needs. The technical education project wn1·a1so f'llrtlter build up the capacity of the Council of Higher Education (YoK) to plan and manage such programs. In addition, the project will support the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in developing a national training system for hotel, catering and tourism occupations. Twenty existing vocational schools will be converted into technician training centers. Four faculties for training instructors• o~ technical and vocational education will be upgraded and expanded to meet an expected shortage of over 13,400 technical and vocational teachers by 1991. Training programs at five tourism training centers will be upgraded and expanded, and five new centers will be established. Since 1971, the World Bank has assisted the government in addressing its need for highly skilled technical manpower through four loans totaling $166.5 million. The new World Bank loan is for 17 years, including four years·of• grace, with a variable interest rate, currently 7.72 percent, linked to the cost of the Bank's borrowings. It also carries an annual commitment charge of 0.75 percent on the undisbursed balances. Note: Money figures are in U.S. dollar equivalents