The journey of the “Skills@
Work” entrepreneurship and innovation challenge carried out in collaboration by the British Council and the Ministry of National Education General Directorate of Girls’ Technical Education started three years ago.
In its initial year, which was 2008 – 2009, the project was announced to 50 schools attached to the General Directorate of Girls’ Technical Education in Istanbul, which had been selected as the pilot province; of these, 79 teams from 29 schools applied for the challenge, and we found the opportunity to come together with 75 students and 30 coaching teachers and school administrators. Üsküdar İMKB Girls’ Technical and Vocational High School’s “Su Savaşçıları” team won the first place and represented our country at the “international finals” in Bulgaria.
In 2009 – 2010, our challenge grew bigger and spread across Turkey with announcements made to 526 schools of the General Directorate of Girls’ Technical Education; 179 applications were received from 49 provinces, and the challenge ended with a national final where 100 students and 40 coaching teachers and school administrators came together and received training. The Salihli Girls’ Technical and Vocational High School, which won the first place with its team “Ege’nin İncisi”, got the opportunity to participate in the “Bright Futures” entrepreneurship camp in the UK.
This year, in 2010 – 2011, there was a huge interest in the challenge in its third year; a total of 730 applications were received from 75 provinces, and for the first time we carried out “regional finals”; in Trabzon, Gaziantep and Izmir, 64 teams received training, “built their imagination” and competed, at the end of which 7 regional finalists were selected from each region.
The teams came together at the “national finals” held in Istanbul on 25 – 27 April 2011, where they competed keenly for a chance at participation in entrepreneurship camp in the UK, as well as laptop computers and cameras; but above all, they learned about entrepreneurship, which is a very strong opportunity for their future.
“Melek’in Melekleri”, participating from Düzce, won the first place and will be taking part in the “Bright Futures” camp in the UK; Manisa İsmet İnönü Girls’ Technical and Vocational High Sch
ool’s “Nav-Eyes” team won the second place, and Gaziantep Şahinbey Girls’ Technical and Vocational High School’s “Bamem” team got the third place. Bitlis Güroymak Girls’ Technical and Vocational High School’s “İpekyolu Canlanıyor” team won the special award of the TOBB Board of Women Entrepreneurs, and the vocational high school students once again proved they have “skills@work”.
2011 – 2012… “Skills@Work IV” is coming…
Emine Çarkçıoğlu
Education Projects Manager – Vocational Education & Skills
British Council Turkey
