Edexcel Mena, the regional headquarters of Edexcel International, has announced the addition of Turkey to its regional network, with the goal of further consolidating its presence in the Middle East.

“The vibrant economic and technological developments in the region over the past few years have accentuated the need for internationally recognised qualifications at all levels,” said Mark Andrews, regional director, Edexcel Mena.

The opening of the Edexcel office in Turkey comes six years after Turkey joined the Bologna Process, which currently has 46 participating countries.

The Bologna Process created the European Higher Education Area by making academic degree standards and quality assurance standards more comparable and compatible throughout Europe.

“The new office will bring to the Turkish business sector a diverse portfolio of globally recognised qualifications spanning different academic and vocational sectors. We will continue to invest in the delivery of high quality education programmes tailored to the needs of businesses and individuals in Turkey,” Andrews observed.

The Turkish education system is a state-supervised system designed to produce a skilled professional class for the social and economic institutes of the nation.

As part of the country’s strategy towards implementing a culture of lifelong learning, the creation of vocational training institutions is gaining momentum in order to meet the growing needs for standardizing training and certification of qualifications. 

'More than 1.5 million students graduate from Turkish high schools and the multi-billion dollar expenditure on education in Turkey includes the state budget allocated through the National Ministry of Education and private and international funds.'
 
With its wide range of vocational and academic qualifications, Edexcel will play an important role in partnering with Turkish institutions,. Andrews said.

' Moreover, because Edexcel qualifications are recognised by universities and employers all over the world, holders of Edexcel qualifications have a  wide choice of progression into higher education and local and international employment.'

'As the country continues to experience economic boom, it is imperative for Turkish businesses to compete in an international marketplace which they can do by, among other things, employing staff who hold internationally recognised qualifications,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service