THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF VOCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
Vocational institutions established in the 1940s, which played an important role in the education of young girls and in introducing the Turkish culture to the world, prepared students for the future with an identity befitting the spirit of the age. Traces of the 75-year history of these institutions were displayed to the public with an exhibition and a panel organized at the Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Center.
The Ministry of National Education organized an exhibition at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSGSÜ) Tophane-i Amire Culture and
Art Center titled The Corporate Transformation Meeting and Recollection of Vocational Institutions Exhibition shedding light on Turkey’s history of education and fashion. In the recollection section of the exhibition attended by
Emine Erdoğan, patron of the transformation project of these institutions whose history dates back to the 1940s, and Minister for National Education Ziya Selçuk, photographs from different periods reflecting the 75-year history of the institutions, works designed by students, institutional training programs, and workshop materials were on display. In the sections titled “Kasnak”, “Sır”, “Hakan”, “Bir”, and “Kesret”, a new interpretation of traditional Turkish handicrafts made using various techniques including Turkish embroidery, Maraş embroidery, crochet gold leaf, illumination, and braiding were on exhibit.
The story of vocational institutions, whose number has currently reached 24 across Turkey, is also a panorama of the history of Turkish education. The issue of technical education, which began in the last period of the Ottoman Empire, became one of the main topics in the Republican period. By introducing substantial regulations in various periods aimed at developing vocational and technical training for women, the ministry laid the foundation for the education institutions called “Institutes for Girls.” Following the
Wall Street Chrash of 1929, the Great Depression that followed, and the years of
World War II, the curriculum of these schools was restructured according to the demands for a skilled workforce.
1945, The First Vocational Institution
Refia Övüç, who made a great effort to popularize the institutions in Turkey, wanted to introduce a different incentive to Turkish fashion that was controlled by foreigners, and expressed the need of a practice-based institution. In those years, there were very few Turkish workshops in places like Beyoğlu and Nişantaşı, the heart of Turkish fashion. Övüç stressed the need of adapting the training received by girls in the institutions to this sector. A report was prepared regarding the reevaluation of these schools’ curricula and the opening of a workshop that would provide practical training, including all services that could be learned in a workshop environment ranging from welcoming customers to tailoring orders according to the model. The report was presented to the Undersecretary of Vocational and Technical Education Rüştü Uzel. In a short time, the first vocational institution was opened in Istanbul and Rüştü Uzel was appointed founding director. On October 14, 1945, this first vocational institution opened on Beyoğlu’s Istiklal Street, the heart of fashion, and began teaching 161 students. The institution offered a training program to incorporate products such as Turkish embroidery, embroidered napkins, and bindallı (velvet garments embroidered with gold/silver thread) into daily life, and also exhibited these samples of the rich Turkish heritage it produced to the public.In a short time, with the productions of these students, the school was transformed into an institution that yielded a profit and circulated capital.
The success of the Istanbul Vocational Institute pioneered the establishment of vocational institutions in different provinces. Consequently, starting in 1958, institutions were set up in cities including Ankara, Eskişehir, Samsun, Izmir, Adana, Antalya, Kayseri, Trabzon, Diyarbakır, and Bursa.
In 1996, the emphasis of
“better preparing and equipping the students who attend the girl’s institutes for work and occupational life” mentioned in the first directive of the institutions, was replaced by the mission of “an institution committed to the continued existence of handicrafts, and to the studies, development, evaluation, archiving, and production in the field of traditional Turkish clothing and handicrafts.”
The institutions, which currently number 24 throughout Turkey, are preparing to interpret the rich heritage generated by the past in the fields of Turkish clothing and handicrafts with a new mission taking into consideration current demands.
Institutions Meet with the Present-Day Spirit
Speaking at the opening of The Corporate Transformation Meeting and Recollection of Vocational Institutions Exhibition organized to reflect this new mission, Minister for National Education Ziya Selçuk explained that ministry has prepared a 10-article manifesto containing steps such as “enhancement, common design language, traditional innovations, branding” for the
institutions to reach the position they deserve and produce works in keeping with the spirit of the present. He ended his speech by thanking Emine Erdoğan for assuming the patronage of this mission initiated with the aim of introducing the wonder of the Turkish needle to the whole world, and for giving the opportunity to Turkey to establish a valuable bridge between its past, present, and future with this project.
Emine Erdoğan, explaining the need for these institutions to redefine tradition with the simplicity of modern design in the new period, pointed out that vocational institutes acted as a cultural shield in the 1950s when the footsteps of globalization began to approach. She noted, “Now we will continue our mission of protecting our culture from where we left off by reviving ourselves with a new vision.
Our vocational institutes will become a base where the variety of materials and designs from the region of Anatolia, where our culture is protected, will become popular. I believe that our traditions embraced with an innovative perception will contribute to new experiences in the field of design, not only for us but for the entire world.” Stressing that vocational institutions are undertaking an important mission for the sake of introducing the world to our design labels “Made in Turkey,” Emine Erdoğan expressed the
mission of the institutions in the new period with the following words, “Rather than the regular decorative objects, we should produce works that have high artistic value. We should produce products that have spirit, what we call ‘eternal.’ But let’s achieve this in the most reformed form. Simplicity is the highest level of development. It is possible for us to establish niche markets in many fields of our culture’s handicrafts. There is a huge market and demand for things that are different and authentic in the world. People are inclined towards personal products that tell a story rather than ordinary, identical products. As we reveal our collections from our treasure chests, this demand will become even more evident. When we look at major brands, we see that they have begun to combine regional values with modern designs. This is the field in which we should concentrate. Our aim for the future at the vocational institutions is providing depth and expertise in the branches of art and crafts. In other words, instead of individuals who are familiar with a craft to a certain extent, our aim is to establish memory banks that carry the remnants of our country’s art and crafts. We will train competent, experienced young people that are always capable of offering a new perspective to meet the demand of human resources in the sector. Hopefully, vocational institutes with their mission of unearthing our national values will carry forward the marks of our geography.”
As patron of these institutions,
Emine Erdoğan ended her speech saying that she wanted to make a proposition to transform the institutions into a national brand. “In 2023, the 100th anniversary of our Republic, let’s load the spirit and new designs of the vocational institutions onto the Tarsus ship and organize exhibitions in the Mediterranean ports. I believe that in the last 70 years we have accumulated a great deal to convey to the world in the field of art and crafts. I am confident that the energy loaded onto the Tarsus ship will accelerate the pulse of the world’s art sector. I also believe that with new designs, we will prove the ‘Wonder of the Turkish Needle’ yet again.”