Photo: © Turuhan Alkır

Hatay, Turkey –Today marks the end of a job fair marathon in Turkey, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) within the scope of the project: “Building Resilience of Syrians under Temporary Protection and Host Communities in Turkey through Supporting Socio-Economic Integration and Creating Livelihood Opportunities”. The USD 11-million-dollar project is implemented by FAO through high-level cooperation with partners and funded by the European Union. With the support of FAO, more than a thousand local, skilled trainees and private sector representatives met during job fairs organized in ten provinces across Turkey during the months of November, December, January and February.

In line with the project’s employment targets, the job fairs were organized in Adana, Bursa, Gaziantep, Hatay, Izmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Manisa, Şanlıurfa and Vanrepresent. Collectively, they represent the latest stage in a project that has promoted sustainable and climate-friendly agricultural development within Farmer Field Schools and delivered vocational training on relevant topics related to skilled labour, rural development, and the production needs of the food, agriculture, and related sectors. Beneficiaries of these vocational training sessions participated in the job fairs alongside key stakeholders and private sector representatives in need of a qualified workforce.

Ayşegül Selışık, FAO Assistant Representative for Turkey, emphasized the importance of such events to raise the visibility of skilled trainees among potential employers: “The purpose of these job fairs is to provide project beneficiaries with a positive start in their career by meeting with potential employers that need skilled workers for agrifood businesses.”

The project is carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security within the scope of the Syrian Refugee Resilience Plan.