KfW provides more than EUR 70 million to support Syrian refugee children and the local population in host communities

Vocational training creates opportunities

• Around 750 workshops in vocational schools are being equipped and modernised
• Scholarships and access to vocational school for around 15,000 pupils
• Support creates opportunities to settle and improves professional prospects

In cooperation with the European Union (EU), KfW has committed around EUR 70 million to the second phase of a programme to improve employment opportunities through formal vocational training for young Syrian and Turkish people. With a total volume of EUR 120 million, the programme has emerged from the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRiT), approved in 2016 as a reaction by the EU to the Syrian crisis, and is being implemented by the Turkish Ministry for Education. Its aim is to create professional opportunities for young people – especially refugee children from Syria – in the Turkish host communities. Over the course of the measure, a total of 750 workshops in 50 vocational schools are being modernised and equipped with modern teaching materials. In addition, around 15,000 young people are receiving scholarships in the form of benefits in kind and financial contributions to help with transport to lessons in the vocational school, in order to enable regular participation in education.

“Strengthening the vocational training system and improved access to education are enormously important for young people who have fled Syria. It gives them a better chance of acquiring skills that they need to lead autonomous lives and escape precarious employment. Things are particularly uncertain at the moment due to the coronavirus pandemic. More than before, sound vocational training is the key to a bright future for young people,” said Dr Günther Bräunig, Chief Executive Officer of KfW Group.

At present, around 3.6 million Syrian refugees are registered in Turkey. 70% of the refugees are under the age of 30. This number has remained relatively stable for years and there is no end to the conflict in Syria in sight. The majority of the refugees live in the Syrian border region and in the urban areas around Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. In the border provinces of Kilis (81%), Gaziantep (22%) and Sanliurfa (21%), the proportion of refugees is particularly high in relation to the overall population. More than half a million Syrians are officially registered in Istanbul.

The measure is focused on these regions and builds on the successful activities of the first phase, which has been underway since 2017.

More information on KfW Development Bank is available at:
www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de/en