In brief
Under Art. 17/3 of Law No. 6331, in work where vocational training is compulsory, a person who cannot document vocational training relevant to the work they will do may not be employed; the requirement applies to workers actually doing the jobs in the regulation's Annex 1 list. Eight types of certificate are accepted, including diplomas, master craftsman certificates, MEB-approved course certificates and MYK certificates; but in occupations where MYK has introduced a certificate requirement, a course certificate alone is not enough. The certificate is required before hiring, and a copy is kept in the personnel file.
Legal basis: what do the Law and the regulation say?
Art. 17/3 of Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety is short and definite: in work in the hazardous and very hazardous classes where vocational training is compulsory, those who cannot document that they have received vocational training relevant to the work they will do may not be employed. Which jobs fall within this scope and which certificates count as valid are set by the Regulation on the Vocational Training of Persons to Be Employed in Work in the Hazardous and Very Hazardous Classes (Official Gazette 13.07.2013, No. 28706).
The regulation defines vocational training as planned training, through formal or non-formal education, that prepares people for an occupation, enables those in an occupation to adapt to developments in it and to new occupations, and develops the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes (Art. 4). In other words, the aim is to document that the person has the vocational competence to do the work safely and correctly. Three articles of the regulation are decisive for businesses:
- Art. 5/1: It is compulsory for those who will work in the jobs listed in the Annex 1 schedule to undergo vocational training before being hired.
- Art. 5/2: Even if the main activity at the workplace is hazardous or very hazardous, this requirement does not apply if the job the worker does is not in Annex 1 (without prejudice to the provisions of Law No. 3308).
- Art. 7: Ministry labour inspectors check whether the certificate exists; the employer keeps a copy of the certificate in the worker's personnel file and shows it on request.
Who is in scope? Examples from the Annex 1 list
Annex 1 consists of 109 lines; the lines are grouped under headings such as exploration and drilling, metallurgy, stone and earth, metal and metal products, wood, construction, chemicals, spinning and weaving, paper, food, energy, transport, storage, communications and miscellaneous work. Some of the lines most often found in Bursa's industrial structure are:
| Annex 1 line | Job | Where it is commonly found |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Hot and cold forming of metals and alloys by casting, rolling and pressing | Press and casting lines in the automotive supply industry |
| 22 | Cold smithing and all kinds of welding (oxy-fuel, electric, spot, seam welding) | Welders, spot welding operators |
| 25 | Machining such as turning and fitting over 10 kg, and grinding | Lathe and CNC operators |
| 28 | Metal surface cleaning and protective coating (nickel plating, chrome plating, hot-dip, phosphating, anodising) | Plating plants |
| 29 | Work with power-driven knives, saws, cutting, shaping and drilling machines | Furniture and woodworking workshops in Inegol |
| 62 | Shaping plastics and manufacturing plastic goods | Injection moulding and extrusion lines |
| 65 | Cleaning, dyeing, bleaching and printing of raw and finished materials | Textile dyehouses and printing plants |
| 75 | Generation, transmission and distribution of electricity; electrical maintenance and repair | Factory maintenance electricians |
| 84 | Warehousing, storage, loading and unloading in depots, bonded warehouses and warehouses | Logistics and warehouse workers |
| 108 | Packaging, packing and filling of solid and liquid products | Food and chemical filling lines |
What is decisive is not the workplace's class but the work the employee actually does. An accounts employee at a metal factory is outside the scope; a maintenance technician at the same factory who occasionally welds is within it. If you do not know your workplace's class, first see our hazard class guide, then match each role against the Annex 1 lines.
Let us think about an example: a metalworking workshop in Bursa with 40 employees in the hazardous class. The 8-person administrative staff (accounting, sales, planning) are outside the scope because they do not do Annex 1 jobs. The 12 lathe and CNC operators match line 25, the 6 welders line 22, and the 3 maintenance electricians line 75; these 21 people must have certificates suited to their work. The roles of the remaining 11 employees are compared one by one with Annex 1: an employee who only does packaging may fall under line 108, and an employee who does loading and unloading in dispatch under line 84. Doing this matching correctly once clarifies both job advertisements and the training budget.
Which certificates are accepted?
Under Art. 6 of the regulation, those who will actually be employed in the jobs in Annex 1 must hold one of the following certificates suited to the work they do:
- A diploma, completion certificate, authorisation certificate, certificate, independent workplace opening certificate, journeyman, master craftsman or master instructor certificate issued under Vocational Training Law No. 3308
- Certificates obtained on completing vocational training courses or on-the-job training programmes of equal duration under the Regulation on Active Labour Force Services
- Operator and driver certificates issued by MEB (the Ministry of National Education) or institutions authorised by MEB
- An explosives shotfirer competence certificate
- Certificates issued on completing training organised by public institutions and organisations authorised by their establishing laws
- Certificates issued on completing training organised by professional organisations, educational foundations and associations, employee and employer organisations, their training companies and the employer, provided that the approval of the relevant MEB unit is obtained
- Certificates obtained from international institutions and organisations whose equivalence has been established by MEB
- MYK vocational qualification certificates issued under the Regulation on Vocational Qualification, Examination and Certification
The phrase "suited to the work they do" is important: a certificate obtained in the field of electrical maintenance does not cover the same person working in welding. The regulation also contains two transitional rules. For those who started working in these jobs before 1 May 2017 according to SGK records (the date updated by the amendment in Official Gazette of 11.05.2017), certificates obtained from training modules of at least 32 hours delivered under protocols between MEB and authorised public institutions are accepted (Art. 6/2). Vocational training certificates obtained under the old communiqué of 2009 are also valid (provisional Art. 1).
In public institutions and organisations, the institutions themselves determine in advance the vocational training certificates required for employees not subject to Labour Law No. 4857 (Art. 6/3). In the private sector, the responsibility for checking the certificate lies directly with the employer.
The difference between an MYK certificate and an MEB-approved course certificate
This is the topic employers confuse most often. Both certificates are among those accepted for Annex 1 jobs, but what they show and where they can be used differ.
| Topic | MEB-approved course certificate | MYK vocational qualification certificate |
|---|---|---|
| What does it show? | That an approved training programme has been completed | That vocational competence has been measured by examination and certified |
| Place in the regulation | Art. 6/1-e (provided the relevant MEB unit approves) | Art. 6/1-g |
| In Annex 1 jobs without an MYK requirement | Valid (provided it suits the work) | Valid |
| In occupations where MYK has introduced a certificate requirement | Not sufficient on its own | Valid |
The basis for the last row is the Ministry's announcement of 02.01.2025. Accordingly, in occupations where a certificate requirement has been introduced by Vocational Qualifications Authority Law No. 5544 and MYK communiqués, the valid certificates are: a master craftsman certificate under Law No. 3308, a diploma from MEB vocational and technical schools or the relevant fields of universities, or the relevant MYK certificate. In Annex 1 jobs where MYK has not introduced a requirement, one of the certificates in Art. 6 of the regulation is sufficient.
Inspection, fines and the employer's responsibility
The vocational training certificate is one of the documents labour inspectors look at directly. For breaches of the obligations in Art. 17 of Law No. 6331, the administrative fine is applied per employee for each breach (Art. 26/1). The 2026 base amount is 8,980 TL per employee, and no hazard class increase is applied to this fine, which is multiplied by the number of employees. For example, for 10 welders employed without certificates the amount reaches 89,800 TL. For current amounts, see the OHS administrative fines tool.
Beyond the fine, employing workers without certificates leads to the employer's training and assignment processes being questioned after a work accident. So see the certificate before hiring, confirm it with the issuing institution and put a copy in the personnel file.
Vocational training with our solution partners
Bursa Sistemer OSGB plans vocational training through solution partners working under public education centre protocols. MEB-approved, 40-hour modules are chosen together with the business according to its line of production: at an automotive supply plant welding and machining stand out, at a furniture workshop woodworking machinery, and at a warehouse storage and loading work.
We set up the process as follows: first we match employees' roles to the Annex 1 lines and list those who have certificates and those who are missing them; then we separate out occupations with an MYK requirement and choose suitable modules for the remaining need together with you. For details, see our vocational training page.
Planning tips
- Prepare a role-certificate matrix. For each employee, keep the work actually done, the Annex 1 line number, certificate type, certificate number and date in a single table.
- Make the certificate a hiring requirement. The regulation requires training "before being hired"; ask about the certificate at the advertisement and interview stage.
- Monitor changes of role. An employee moving from the warehouse to the welding section must have a certificate suited to the new work.
- Check the MYK list once a year. The occupations for which a certificate requirement has been introduced can be updated by communiqués.
- Spread training across the production calendar. Plan the 40-hour modules around the shift pattern and busy seasons.
- Keep certificates in the personnel file. The regulation requires a copy of the certificate to be kept in the personnel file and shown to the authorities on request.
- Ask subcontractors too. Request the certificates of subcontractor workers doing welding, electrical or loading work at your factory from the subcontractor before work starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do our office employees also need a vocational training certificate?
No. The requirement applies to employees actually doing the jobs in Annex 1. Even if your workplace's main activity is hazardous or very hazardous, no vocational training certificate is required for those working in jobs not listed in Annex 1, such as accounting, sales or human resources.
Are an MEB-approved course certificate and an MYK certificate the same thing?
No. A course certificate shows that an approved training course has been completed, while an MYK certificate shows that competence has been measured by examination. Both are accepted for Annex 1 jobs; but in occupations where MYK has introduced a certificate requirement, a course certificate alone is not enough.
Can we employ a worker without a certificate until their certificate arrives?
No. The regulation requires vocational training to be completed before hiring, and the Law states clearly that those who cannot document it may not be employed. Plan the certificate process before the start date.
Does a vocational training certificate expire?
The regulation does not set a general renewal period for the certificates listed in Art. 6. However, some certificates may have a validity period or surveillance condition under their own legislation; enter the dates on the certificate into your role-certificate matrix.
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.