Turkey invests in youth with energy high school launch

By Murat Temizer and Firdevs Yuksel

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey is in the process of training young people in vocational and technical high schools to have a professional, qualified workforce in the energy sector, Turkey's Energy Minister said Wednesday.

As part of Turkey's national energy and mining policy targets, the country’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak spoke at the signing ceremony of the Vocational and Technical Anatolian High Schools of Natural Resources and Renewable Energy Technologies, organized in accordance with the National Energy Education Trust.

"We are investing in young people who will carry our goals and our future in their hands," he said.

Albayrak explained that the world is on the verge of a new era, or golden age for countries that export and produce technology.

"As producers in the field of technology, Turkey will be able to make a big leap forward," he said.

Albayrak hailed the launch of the ten new high schools with 16 classrooms each as "an investment that cannot be measured in monetary terms."

He explained that three of the schools would be dedicated to renewable energy and the remaining would be for natural resources.

He said the schools would play a crucial role both in the development of energy technologies and in mining.

He also stated that in taking a leaf from vocational education in developed countries where serious importance was given to its growth, the numbers of vocational high schools in Turkey should also increase further.

The project will be realized with the support of Nurol Holding, Sabanci Foundation, TANAP Natural Gas Transmission Company and Doganlar Holding.