A NEW ERA IN YOUTH EMPLOYMENT: 3 MILLION YOUNG PEOPLE TO JOIN THE LABOUR FORCE THROUGH THE “GÜÇ” PROGRAMME
By İŞKUR
The ‘GÜÇ – The Productive Age of Youth (Gençliğin Üretim Çağı)’ Programme, which will bring 3 million young people into the heart of production, is being launched.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Security is implementing a comprehensive employment model to increase young people’s participation in employment and to strengthen their transition from education into working life. This new age, in which Türkiye’s greatest strength – its young population – is treated not merely as a potential asset but as a strategic factor that directly contributing to production and sustainable development, marks the launch of the ‘GÜÇ – The Productive Age of Youth’ programme.
The program’s launch event, attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was announced to the public on Tuesday, January 6, 2026. GÜÇ – The Productive Age of Youth stands out as a comprehensive model setting out the long-term and holistic vision for youth employment of the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR), an affiliated organisation of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. Aiming to enable young people to participate in the labour market in a strong and lasting manner without disengaging from education, the programme brings together support mechanisms across a broad spectrum—from internships to first jobs, from vocational training to university life, and from the private sector to social cohesion programmes. This structure, consisting of five main programmes, aims to enable young people to gain work experience at an early age, align their skills with the needs of labour market and guide them qualified employment.
Internship Opportunities for an Additional 800,000 Students within 3 years
Within the scope of internship support, internship opportunities for high school and university students are unified under a single structure. Through the integration of İŞKUR’s Internship Portal with the National Internship Programme, students have an easier access to internships, while internship quotas of public and private sector employers are monitored. It is planned to provide internship opportunities for 800 thousand students over the next 3 years, and to help young people make a stronger start in their careers through the supports for wages and insurance premiums during their internships. While the payment of TRY 80 billion for internship support since 2022 demonstrates the scale of public support in this area, an additional TRY 26.2 billion allocated for the upcoming period is intended to expand internship capacity further.
Connecting students with employers earlier
Through the “My Future in My Profession” programme for final-year vocational high school and vocational school of higher education students, young people will have the opportunity to meet employers while they are still studying. Within the scope of the programme, students will be supported by one-to-one career counselling services and referred to the sectors with high labour demand – primarily manufacturing sector. Moreover, career fairs and group job interviews will be organised specifically for final-year students of vocational high schools and vocational schools of higher education to enable them connect directly with employers. The goal is to provide individual career support to 750,000 young people within three years so that job seeking period will be shortened and the rate of employment in fields different from their own fields after graduation will be reduced.
Inclusive Employment Model NIUP (Labour Transition Programme) for the NEETs
The aim of Labour Transition Programme for young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) is to reintegrate 450,000 young people in the production process within three years. The programme provides a part-time and flexible working model and targets a gradual transition to working life. Within the scope of the programme, young people undertake practical tasks in areas such as social services, maintenance and repair, and green transformation in cooperation with public institutions; they are supported throughout the process with daily allowances and short-term insurance support. A budget of TRY 107.3 billion is predicted to be allocated for this programme. NİUP stands out as an important integration model that strengthens the reintegration of young people at risk of social exclusion into both economic and social life.
Strong Cooperation with the Private Sector: First Step into Work
Under the ‘First Step into Work’ programme, wage and insurance premium support will be provided for young people aged between 18–25 who are entering into labour force for the first time. Under the programme, wages and insurance premiums equivalent to the net minimum wage for young people’s first jobs will be covered by the Unemployment Insurance Fund for up to six months. This support aims to reduce the financial barriers to youth employment and make it easier for the private sector to access qualified young labour. It is planned that 750,000 young people will benefit from this programme within three years, and a strong partnership with the private sector will be established with a total of TRY 215.8 billion in resources.
İŞKUR Youth Programme Offers Experience and Income Opportunities for University Students
The İŞKUR Youth Programme for university students aims to reach 1 million students by the end of 2028. Students will be able to gain experience in approximately 30 different areas, ranging from sustainable campus activities to digital transformation, social and cultural work to entrepreneurship, through a flexible working model of 1 to 3 days per week outside of class hours. Within the scope of the programme students will gain work discipline and job experience while gaining income. During a period when especially young women’s unemployment remains high, TRY 95,8 billion in funds have been allocated for the programme that comes to the forefront with its inclusive structure.
A Total of 445 Billion TL in Funds Will be Disbursed to the Youth
It is aimed that about 3 million young people will be brought into the labour market with the GÜÇ – Productive Age of the Youth programme that will be implemented with funds over TRY 445.1 billion in total. This magnitude is roughly equivalent to a level above the budget assigned for each one of the 9 Ministries individually in 2026.
Within the scope of the programme it is aimed that 750 thousand vocational high school graduate students will be tracked individually, unemployment will be lowered below the 7.8 percent rate aimed in the 2026-2028 Mid-Term Programme, and the youth employment rate that is 11.5 percent rate in the OECD average is shrunk to further lower levels in Türkiye.
Vision of Productive Age of the Youth is aiming to lower unemployment by providing the youth to take place in formal employment permanently, and raise the qualified labour force that will ensure Türkiye’s long-term competitiveness
For further information you can visit the link below.
https://guc.iskur.gov.tr/