The first steps toward establishing our association were taken under the encouragement and support of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) with the aim of enhancing the qualifications of vocational schools and their graduates, thereby contributing to Turkey’s strategic development plans for a skilled workforce. Motivated by this goal and backed by our universities, the Vocational Education Evaluation and Accreditation Association (MEDEK) was founded in 2021. In 2023, MEDEK received authorization from the Higher Education Quality Council (YÖKAK) to accredit 83 vocational-school programs, enabling the evaluation of these programs’ compliance with established standards, quality criteria and performance benchmarks.

To contribute to the improvement of education quality by providing information, external evaluation and accreditation services for associate-degree (short-cycle) programs.

To become a pioneering body that certifies quality by defining the educational, research and administrative processes—and, ultimately, the intermediate-level workforce quality—of associate-degree programs to national and international standards and by sharing the results with relevant institutions and organizations.

To lead the way in training vocational professionals who keep pace with sectoral developments, respond to evolving workforce needs, possess high-level skills and competencies, are innovative and socially responsible, can take initiative, and meet the qualifications sought by their industries.