Rönesans Holding has partnered with UNICEF to enhance vocational education for youth in Türkiye. This collaboration, launched on December 1, 2025, is part of UNICEF’s “From Learning to Earning for Youth” programme. The initiative aims to provide young people with the skills necessary to succeed in today’s workforce by integrating educational experiences with practical training opportunities.
This innovative programme will offer 120 students from health vocational high schools the chance to gain hands-on experience at the Gaziantep City Hospital, one of Türkiye’s leading healthcare facilities. Through this partnership, students will be exposed to roles in areas such as software development, food and beverage services, industrial maintenance, plumbing, energy systems, and industrial automation technologies. By aligning vocational education with current job market demands, the initiative seeks to pave the way for promising careers for Türkiye’s youth.
Empowering Youth Through Real-World Experience
The collaboration leverages the strengths of multiple sectors. As noted by UNICEF Türkiye Representative Paolo Marchi, the programme is designed to support young individuals in acquiring essential knowledge and skills that correspond to labour market needs. Marchi emphasized the importance of quality and inclusive vocational education, stating, “This partnership supports the Ministry of National Education in providing quality vocational and technical education while leveraging the expertise of private sector partners like Rönesans Holding.”
The initiative also aims to enhance the broader technical and vocational education and training (TVET) ecosystem in Türkiye. Improvements to the TVET curriculum, workplace-learning standards, and teacher training are set to benefit a larger population of students, ensuring that relevant skills become the norm.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is also backing the initiative. Elisabetta Falcetti, the EBRD Managing Director for Türkiye and the Caucasus, expressed pride in contributing to the initiative, highlighting its focus on workforce diversity and equality of opportunity. “Unequal access to economic opportunities limits growth, which is why the EBRD is committed to promoting equality of opportunity across all its regions,” Falcetti stated.
Rönesans Holding’s Commitment to Education
Rönesans Holding has a proven track record in education, operating science and technical high schools and supporting over 14,000 scholarship students. The company’s long-standing partnership with UNICEF, which began in 2023, has included efforts to provide education and psychosocial support to nearly 13,000 women and children in earthquake-affected regions.
Ipek Ilıcak Kayaalp, Chair of the Board of Rönesans Holding, emphasized the significance of this initiative: “We are enabling 120 students to prepare for their professions under the guidance of master instructors at the Gaziantep City Hospital.” She noted that the students will receive training four days a week, framed as a model for collaboration between the private sector, international organizations, and the public sector in Türkiye.
Ilıcak Kayaalp further articulated the broader vision of the initiative: “The combination of these three forces creates impacts that could not be achieved individually. Our greatest goal is to offer a future filled with hope, opportunity, and confidence to young people.”
This initiative addresses a pressing issue in Türkiye, where nearly one in four young people aged 15–24 are not engaged in education, employment, or training. The “From Learning to Earning for Youth” programme aims to close this skills gap by creating safe and supportive environments for learning.
Training will be conducted by hospital staff trained specifically for this purpose, ensuring that students receive high-quality instruction while promoting gender equality and diversity in the workplace. Rönesans Holding is dedicated to expanding its support for youth education and will work closely with UNICEF to implement this model in new sectors and communities, continuing its commitment to invest in the future of Türkiye’s youth.
