VQA Chairman Cemal Cihan Coşkun reminded at the Authorized Certification Bodies Workshop that the main task of VQA during its establishment was only to determine the standards of the professions and to establish the examination and certification infrastructure.
Explaining that the duties, responsibilities and activities of the institution have increased considerably in the process, Coşkun said:
“Now, due to the increasing duties in our organizational structure, the need for change has emerged. The first reformist arrangement in our organizational structure was made on the picture that emerged after the mining accident in Soma and the elevator accident in Mecidiyeköy. We made our first reform in 2015, since workers in dangerous professions were not documented. This meant that the workforce had to have a professional qualification certificate in dangerous professions, the service information was revised with the change in the VQA organization law, and the examination and certification fees were met with the regulation in the unemployment law. With this regulation, the workload, activities, duties and responsibilities of the institution increased considerably.
“We will revise the standards and qualifications”
Emphasizing that the standards of approximately 90 percent of the professions practiced in Turkey are determined by VQA, Coşkun gave the following information:
“Today, nearly 900 occupational standards and nearly 650 national qualifications have been determined. VQA Certificate is obligatory in more than 200 occupations. We have 275 exam centers. Nearly 2.5 million people have vocational qualification certificates. Despite such a picture, we have digital and green transformation. We need to revise the system we have established with all the standards and qualifications we have prepared so far, with a perspective that takes into account digital and green transformation. Because the way in which professions are performed is changing. However, the rules of occupational health and safety are changing, information, “Skills and competencies are being redefined. We will revise our standards and competencies accordingly. We have also started working on this. We will include knowledge, skills and competencies, including digital and green transformation, in standards and competencies on the basis of each profession.”
The program was attended by Süreyya Erkan, Head of the European Union and Financial Assistance Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Education and Training Sector Manager of the EU Commission Delegation to Turkey. Dr. Mustafa Balcı and representatives of authorized certification bodies attended.
