Noting that significant progress has been made in the last two decades regarding universalization of education and consolidation of equality of opportunities in Türkiye, Özer said that they have gained a very important experience in pre-school and vocational education as well as in professional development of teachers and digitalization in education.

Stating that Türkiye has come a long way in terms of meeting the needs of the labor market in vocational education especially in the last five years Özer said, they have organized the 'Vocational Education Summit' with the participation of OECD countries in Istanbul on December 1, 2022 where they had the opportunity to compare the progress of OECD countries in vocational education with our country. He said he is glad to see that Türkiye has a much more advanced vocational education system than most OECD countries.

Ambassador Flake: We can benefit from your experience as we reorganize vocational education in the United States

Ambassador Flake also stated that they want to continue the cooperation between the two countries for both Turkish students studying in the United States and for the educators and students from the United States residing in Türkiye.

Stating that they are aware of the transformation of vocational education in Türkiye, Flake stated that he was highly impressed by the level and functioning of vocational education in Türkiye, and that the country has a tremendous understanding of vocational education. He stated that the United States of America has achieved many successes in vocational education from the past to the present, but they can benefit from Türkiye's experience and knowledge, especially when reorganizing the vocational education system.

Özer expressed his gratitude to Ambassador Flake for his visit, while Flake thanked Minister Özer for their hospitality.

Deputy Minister Sadri Şensoy, Director General of the EU and Foreign Relations Hasan Ünsal also took part in the meeting.