In brief
Courses opened in cooperation with a public education centre go through module selection, e-Yaygın enrolment, attendance tracking, an exam and a course completion certificate. If absences exceed one fifth of the course or module time, no certificate is issued. The employer's job is to enrol the right employee on the right module, organise shifts around the course and put the certificate in the personnel file before the employee starts the work.
What need does a public education centre vocational training course meet?
In hazardous and very hazardous work requiring vocational training, an employee who cannot document that they have received vocational training relating to the work they will do may not be employed (Law No. 6331 Art. 17/3). For experienced employees with no diploma, master craftsman certificate or MYK certificate (Vocational Qualifications Authority certificate), the most workable route is often a vocational training course at a public education centre (HEM). The vocational training regulation lists course certificates approved by MEB (the Ministry of National Education) among the valid certificates.
This article explains how the course runs from the employer's desk: how to choose the module, how enrolment is done, how attendance is tracked, the exam and the entry of the certificate into the personnel file. You can find which jobs are covered in our article on the list of occupations requiring vocational training, and the differences between certificate types in our article on the vocational training certificate requirement.
The stages of a HEM cooperation course at a glance
The operation of courses at public education centres is governed by the Ministry of National Education Regulation on Lifelong Learning Institutions; the regulation was most recently updated by the amendment of 16.10.2024. In a course opened together with a business, the division of tasks is roughly as follows:
| Stage | Who runs it? | What the employer does | Legal basis (LLL Reg.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooperation document | Provincial/district directorate of national education, with the governor's approval | Clarify the course need, venue and cost sharing | Arts. 57/2, 57/11 |
| Suitability of the course venue | Committee chaired by the HEM director | Prepare the classroom and practical area | Art. 56/2 |
| Enrolment | e-Yaygın system | Collect the list of employees and documents | Art. 43 |
| Training and attendance | Assigned trainer | Plan shifts around course hours | Arts. 44, 69 |
| Exam | Course teacher or trainer | Separate the exam day from production | Art. 72 |
| Certificate | HEM, e-Yaygın and e-Devlet | Put the certificate in the personnel file | Arts. 57/10, 83 |
In courses opened under a cooperation arrangement, the authority for monitoring, evaluation, inspection, the training programme and issuing certificates lies with the public education centre and cannot be transferred to another institution (Art. 57/8). Trainees cannot be asked to pay anything under the name of a course fee (Art. 57/3); which party will cover the training costs is stated clearly in the cooperation document (Art. 57/11).
Step 1: The employee list and module selection
The course starts with a needs list. Answer these three questions for each employee:
- Is the work they actually do on the Annex 1 list of the vocational training regulation? What counts is the work on site, not the job title.
- Do they hold a valid certificate suited to their work? If they have a diploma, master craftsman certificate, MYK certificate or an earlier course certificate, no new course is needed.
- Is their work an occupation with an MYK requirement? If so, aim for an MYK certificate instead of a course.
Group the remaining employees by work: those who weld, those working on machining tools, those using woodworking machines, those loading and unloading in the warehouse and so on. The module chosen for each group should match the business's line of production. MEB-approved 40-hour course modules are selected through this matching.
Work out group sizes at the outset too. A group of at least 12 people is needed for a programme to be opened (Art. 45/1). If the course is to be held at the workplace, there must be at least 20 employees at the workplace (Art. 56/4). Small businesses that cannot reach these numbers can direct their employees to the same programme opened at the HEM or at another course venue.
Step 2: Course venue, timetable and e-Yaygın enrolment
If an on-site vocational training course is to be opened, a committee chaired by the HEM director examines the suitability of the building and facilities in terms of physical conditions, safety, health, lighting and equipment suited to the programme; the suitability is set out in a report and the course is opened with the approval of the director of national education (Art. 56/2). A sign stating that the course is organised by the public education centre is posted at the course venue (Art. 56/5). The guards, emergency stop buttons and periodic inspections of machines to be used in practical lessons should be completed before training.
When setting the timetable, know the rules on lesson hours: one lesson hour is 40 minutes, the break between lessons may not be less than 10 minutes and the lunch break not less than 45 minutes; courses are planned for at least 2 and at most 8 hours a day between 07:00 and 22:00 (Art. 69). A 40-hour module can be spread over a two-week timetable with 4 lesson hours a day; in shift-based businesses, running the same module with two separate groups disrupts production less.
Enrolment is done through the e-Yaygın system (the Ministry's non-formal education platform) (Art. 43/5). Enrolment requires identity information, an educational certificate depending on the programme, and a medical report where necessary (Art. 43/1). Enrolment must be made within 10 days of the course start date, provided this does not exceed one fifth of the course duration; the time missed by a late enrolee counts towards their absences (Art. 44/1). The same person may enrol on at most two courses at the same time, provided the lesson hours do not clash (Art. 43/7).
There is also a rule on training time: the cost of training under Art. 17 of Law No. 6331 may not be passed on to the employee, and time spent in training counts as working time (Art. 17/7). If you schedule the course outside working hours, calculate the overtime in advance.
Step 3: Tracking attendance
Absence is the most common reason for losing the certificate. In non-modular courses, if absences exceed one fifth of the course time, the trainee is considered absent and unsuccessful; in modular courses this limit applies to each module separately (Art. 44/3). If there is a module in which the trainee was absent or unsuccessful, no course completion certificate is issued and the trainee is given a grade transcript; the certificate is issued once the missing module is completed (Art. 44/2).
In a 40-hour module, this limit is 8 hours. In practice, this means two days' leave or a shift change can put the certificate at risk. Do the following:
- Enter course days in the shift plan; do not schedule trainees for overtime on those days.
- Consider annual leave requests together with the course timetable.
- Ask the trainer for a weekly attendance summary; talk early to anyone approaching the limit.
- If production unavoidably pulls a trainee away, discuss with the HEM in advance how the missed lessons will be made up.
Step 4: Exam and assessment
Success is measured by written or practical exams depending on the programme, and by assignments or projects where applicable; in modular programmes an assessment is made at the end of each module, and below 50 out of 100 counts as a fail (Arts. 72/2, 72/3, 72/7). A trainee who attended the course regularly but failed the exam, or could not sit it for a valid reason, may sit the exam three times within two years without attending the same course again (Art. 72/10).
There may be cases where machines at your workplace are used for the practical exam. On that day, take the machine out of production, mark the exam area and have personal protective equipment ready. The exam is also a work activity; the job-specific risks apply just the same.
Step 5: The vocational training course certificate and the personnel file
In courses opened under a cooperation document, the course completion certificate is signed jointly by the representative of the cooperating institution and the HEM director (Art. 57/10). Certificate procedures are completed through e-Yaygın and certificates are, as a rule, issued through e-Devlet (the government's e-services portal) (Art. 83/2). Ask the employee for the e-Devlet printout of the certificate.
The vocational training regulation requires a copy of the certificate to be kept in the employee's personnel file and shown to the authorities on request. After receiving the certificate, update these records:
- Task-certificate matrix: Employee, work actually done, Annex 1 line, certificate type, certificate date.
- Assignment to work: A person whose certificate has not arrived is not employed in that work; they are temporarily assigned to work outside the scope.
- Change of job: An employee moving from the warehouse to the welding department must hold a certificate suited to their new work.
The process with our solution partners
We plan vocational training through solution partners working under Public Education Centre protocols; MEB-approved, 40-hour modules are selected together with the business according to its line of production. In businesses in Bursa and the surrounding provinces, we usually run the process in this order: matching employees to Annex 1 lines, separating out those who already hold certificates and those with an MYK requirement, a module and group plan for the remaining need, then enrolment, attendance tracking and entering the certificates in personnel files. For details, see our vocational training page.
The administrative fine for employing someone without a certificate is applied per employee; for the 2026 amounts you can use the OHS administrative fines tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a public education centre course be opened at our workplace?
Yes, but there must be at least 20 employees at the workplace, and the suitability of the course venue is examined by the HEM committee and set out in a report. A group of at least 12 people is also needed to open a programme. If you cannot reach these numbers, you can direct your employees to a programme opened at the HEM.
How many hours of absence put the certificate at risk?
If absences exceed one fifth of the course time, the trainee is considered unsuccessful; in modular courses the limit is separate for each module. In a 40-hour module this limit is 8 hours.
When should the course certificate go into the personnel file?
Vocational training should be completed before the employee is taken on. An employee whose certificate has not yet arrived should not be employed in Annex 1 work. Keep a copy of the e-Devlet printout of the certificate in the personnel file.
Does an employee who fails the exam have to take the course again from the start?
Not if they attended regularly. They have the right to sit the exam three times within two years without attending the same course again. For someone considered unsuccessful because of absences, however, the missing module must be completed.
Position-by-position certificate checks for hazardous and very hazardous work, and MEB-approved 40-hour vocational training modules provided through our solution partners.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.