According to the report, in 2016, 22.7% of individuals aged 18 and over in Turkey had participated in formal or non-formal education within the past 12 months. By 2022, this rate had seen a slight increase to 22.9%.

Age Group Analysis

The report reveals that the 18-24 age group had the highest participation rate at 51.7%, followed by the 25-34 age group at 33.2%. However, there was a gender disparity, with 25.5% of men participating in education compared to 20.3% of women.

Fields of Education

When it comes to non-formal education activities, services topped the list, accounting for 30.3% of participation. Health and welfare followed at 15.6%, with education at 10.1%. Agriculture, forestries, fisheries, and veterinary fields had the lowest participation rate at 1.4%.

Age and Fields of Education

The report found that services were the predominant field of education across various age groups, including 18-24, 25-34, 35-54, and 55-64. In contrast, the 65+ age group showed a preference for arts and humanities (28.9%) and health and welfare (28.6%).

Education Providers

Emloyers were the primary providers of non-formal education, responsible for 40.2% of education opportunities for individuals aged 18 and over. Non-formal education and training institutions followed at 29.6%, with formal education and training institutions at 13.7%. There were also gender-specific trends, with non-formal education and training institutions being the primary provider for women (35.7%) and employers for men (46.9%).

Age and Education Providers

When broken down by age groups, non-formal education and training institutions were the leading providers for the 18-24 (38.1%), 55-64 (38.1%), and 65+ (53.1%) age groups. However, employers took the lead in the 25-34 (42.6%) and 35-54 (44.5%) age groups.

Reasons for Participation

The most common reason cited for participating in non-formal education was to improve job performance, with 60.7% of respondents selecting this option. Other reasons included increasing knowledge/skills in an interesting subject (53.8%) and being obliged to participate (47.1%).

Informal Learning

Informal learning, characterized as self-directed and less structured learning outside of formal and non-formal education, was most prevalent among the 18-24 age group. In 2016, 40.5% of individuals in this age group participated in informal learning, a figure that increased to 47.2% in 2022.

These findings offer valuable insights into the evolving landscape of education participation in Turkey, with a particular emphasis on the role of age, gender, and fields of education. (ILKHA)