ISMEK is a common-public educational organisation that provides vocational courses for those who can not afford to acquire a profession with formal educational institutions or want to further improve their skills and competencies in their current jobs. It complements formal education by aiming at enhancing the personal background of residents in Istanbul, improving their vocational and artistic knowledge, as well as raising city culture and the experience of the life in the metropolis. The trainees attending and graduating from these courses are awarded with a certificate approved by the Ministry of National Education.
ISMEK partnered the OIC-VET Pilot Project titled “Strengthening VET through local vocational courses: the experience of ISMEK” during the period 8-10 June 2010 with the participation of nine OIC Member Countries, namely Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Pakistan, Syria and Yemen.
Being a pioneer in its kind, ISMEK commenced its activities as a social fabric project in 1996. Beginning with 141 attendees in three branches in three course centres, the trainings have reached to 230.000 course takers in 123 branches in 218 course centres in 38 districts of Istanbul as of 2008-2009. Over 810.000 residents have benefitted from ISMEK trainings so far. Having more trainees than the students of various universities, ISMEK has become the biggest training provider of Turkey in terms of the number of the trainees and courses, the diversity of the training programs and the high-class productions resulting from such programs.
The target audience of ISMEK is diverse and includes individuals from every part of society. Among trainees are housewives, young girls and boys, the unemployed, workers, illiterate citizens, the disabled, prisoners, the aged and pensioners. People from different backgrounds gather in the course centres without any discrimination of age, religion, language, race, nationality, education level, sex, social status etc. In such places cultural sharing and interaction actualize at utmost levels.
The art and vocational trainings of ISMEK are carried out in various centres. These centres are categorized as: Course Centres — Music Specialization Centres — Turkish-Islamic Arts Centres, Disabled Training Centres — Sport Training Centres - Sales and Exhibition Centres — Shops — Nursing Homes — Poor houses — Jails and Detention Houses — Nongovernmental Organization such as Associations and Foundations.
The vocational technical training courses provided in ISMEK are as follows: Gardening, Hairdressing, Computerized Model Designer, Computerized Style Designer, Skin Care, Leather Confection, Tutoring Motherhood, Tailoring, Home Services, Home Textile, Home Management, Photography, Journalism, Entrepreneurship, Confection, Legal Secretaries, Heavy Equipment Training, Bookbinding, Coiffure, Manicure-Pedicure Training, Guest Service Personnel, Fashion-Textile Designing, Model Designing, Wedding Candy Designing, Ottoman Cuisine, Parking Lot Personnel Training, Confectionery and Biscuit Baking, Radio Programming and Emceeing, Advertising and Promotion, Restaurant and Café Management, Theatrical Make-up, Cinema and TV, Cold Cuisine, Style Designing, Medical Secretary Training, Flat Knitting, Nursing of Old and ill Persons, Writing Workshop, Cooking and Executive Assistant, Computer Maintenance and Repair, Computer Operator Training, Computerized Accounting Assistant Training, Graphic Designing, Ten-finger Keyboard Training, Website Designing.
