General objective of the Human Resources Development Component is to support transition to a knowledge-based economy capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion. Institutional objective of this IPA component is to prepare candidate countries for European Social Fund within the framework of European Employment Strategy and Lisbon Strategy, and to establish suitable structures and systems for this Fund.

Ministry of Labour and Social Security is assigned as the responsible authority of this component. As a consequence of analyses conducted, four priorities (fields of intervention) besides technical assistance and ten measures (sub objectives) under these priorities are defined in the Human Resources Development Operational Programme (HRD OP) prepared by the Ministry. To be financially supported, operations and grant projects are required to be in line with the measures and the activities under these measures defined in HRD OP as well as their results are required to match the indicators defined for each measure. The budget of the HRD OP, including national contribution, is approximately 186 million Euros (nearly 55 million Euros per year) and will be widely allocated to 12 NUTS II regions whose per capita income are below 75 % of Turkey average (43 provinces).

• Measure 1.1: To promote women’s participation in labour force and to increase female employment, including those formerly employed in agriculture.
• Measure 1.2: To increase employment of young people.
• Measure 1.3: To promote registered employment.
• Measure 1.4: To increase the quality of public employment services.

EDUCATION PRIORITY AXIS

The objective of this priority axis is defined as enhancing investment in human capital by increasing the quality of education, improving the linkage between education and the labour market, and raising enrolment rates at all levels of education, especially for girls. The financial resource allocated for this priority axis is approximately 36 million Euros and there are two measures under this priority:

• Measure 2.1: To raise awareness about the importance of education, and to increase enrollment rates, particularly of women, with a view to developing human resources and entrance into labour market.

• Measure 2.2: To enhance the content and quality of especially vocational and technical education.

LIFELONG LEARNING PRIORITY AXIS

The objective of this priority axis is to increase adaptability of workers, enterprises and entrepreneurs, in particular by promoting lifelong learning and encouraging investment in human resources by enterprises and workers. The financial resource allocated for this priority is approximately 20 million Euros and there are two measures under this priority:

• Measure 3.1: Promoting the development and implementation of coherent and comprehensive strategies for lifelong learning.

• Measure 3.2: To increase adaptability of employees and employers by investing more in human capital.

SOCIAL INCLUSION PRIORITY AXIS

The objective of this priority axis is to promote an inclusive labour market with opportunities for disadvantaged people, with a view to their sustainable integration into the labour force and combat all forms of discrimination in the labour market. The financial resource allocated for this priority axis is approximately 20 million Euros and there are two measures under this priority:

• Measure 4.1: To increase employability of disadvantaged persons, facilitate their access to labour market, and eliminate barriers for their entrance into labour market.
• Measure 4.2: Better functioning and coordination among the institutions and mechanisms in the field of labour market and social protection particularly in order to facilitate the integration of disadvantaged persons into the labour market.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PRIORITY AXIS

The objective of this priority axis is to increase the capacity of Operating Structure and potential beneficiaries in order to support the implementation of the HRD OP. The financial resource allocated for this priority axis is approximately 11 million Euros.

Please click for the Human Resources Development Operational Programme.