Speech by State Secretary Marja van Bijsterveldt on signing the Skills MoU in Istanbul on 24 November

Ladies and gentlemen,

Just as yourselves, I have put on my best outfit for this occasion. At the end of my speech I wish to tell you a little more about this.

First and foremost my compliments for the choice of this beautiful location! We are in a former anchor foundry, which is now a museum of transport, communication and industry. The museum was established by the famous entrepreneur and philanthropist Rahmi M. Koc.

This collection harbours everything that is important in this mission for the improvement of vocational education: Industriousness. Craftsmanship. Communication and global transport. Skills. Exchange of knowledge, trade and expertise between our countries.

Let me give an example. This collection holds a replica of the tugboat the 'Liman 2'. Up until 1990, this ship sailed for many years from the port of Istanbul. It was built on Dutch soil in 1935 using Dutch shipbuilding knowledge and know-how.

Is that not a wonderful and concrete example of the fruit of our centuries old friendship?

The signing of the MoU Skills agreement for vocational education is a fitting event in the latest chapter of this exchange. The Netherlands contributed all its available knowledge to the organisation of Skills Turkey. Today we are taking a step further. We will put our signatures to this cooperation agreement and so strengthen our common ambition: to improve the quality and the international character of our youth's vocational education and make it something to be proud of.

The Skills competitions will be an important motor behind this.

We just watched a film with an impression of our own Skills competition a few months ago in my birthplace Rotterdam. An enormously inspiring film. A big compliment to Jos de Goey and his team for the splendid organization in Rotterdam. The level of craftsmanship is astounding!

The Skills competitions help young, up-and-coming professionals to raise the bar for themselves and others. They work together with colleagues from Europe and the rest of the world. This gives them a look at what is available abroad. But there are also opportunities for the participating vocational education institutions. During the competitions they can share knowledge at symposia or make concrete cooperation agreements.

Finally (and most importantly in my opinion), Skills puts the strength of craftsmanship and the value of vocational education fully in the spotlight.

A better calling card is hardly conceivable. And that is very important.

We live in an age in which knowledge and working with your head are highly regarded. The importance of good craftsmanship is in danger of being neglected. In both of our countries, vocational education suffers from a poor image.

This is not fair to our young craftspeople. Nor is it fair to our teachers. And it is harmful to our economy and the global community. Good craftspeople are becoming scarcer and scarcer. In Europe, the distribution, transport and hotel and catering sectors alone are projected to see employment grow by 3.5 million over the next decade. We will need to join forces to meet this demand. The value of craftsmanship across borders is not a luxury but a must!

During the last Skills Europe competitions in Rotterdam, I told the participants:

'For three days, students and young craftsmen will be in the spotlight. And by showing their skills, they put vocational education in the spotlight as well.

That's important, because vocational education is at the heart of the European economy. The part of the body that pumps the blood through it. What would Europe be like, without florists, electricians, plumbers, nurses and designers?

I will tell you: Europe would have the appearance of a desert, with not much life in it.

Europe wouldn't be able to survive, in the dynamic economy of the world in which we live. Craftsmanship is one of the most important instruments for strengthening Europe's competitive power. And it takes great skills to become a great craftsman. As it takes great vocational education to provide students with great skills. Therefore: skills for strong craftsmanship, skills for a strong Europe!'

And I repeat that today, because it comes straight from my heart.

Therefore, I would like to make a proposal.

To help talented students in both countries develop broader craftsmanship skills and gain international experience, I will set up four scholarships. These will be so-called duo scholarships, whereby talented students who follow the same or a similar course in Turkey or the Netherlands can gain practical experience in each other's countries. And so they will be given the opportunity to share their experiences.

I invite SkillsNetherlands to consult with her Turkish counterpart and come up with a proposal for these scholarships.

And last but not least, I am very proud to make the announcement that the Dutch department of Justice has just confirmed that it will reconsider the current visa policy towards vocational students.

I expect that this will lead to easier and faster entry to our country for Turkish vocational students who whish to study in the Netherlands.

I am delighted to have the pleasure of announcing this exciting news to you tonight.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Ustanýn çekici bin altýn

In Dutch we say: Vakmanschap is meesterschap.

Two different ways to express that a skilled craftsman is worth his weight in gold.

And this brings me back to my own outfit.

I wore the same outfit a few months ago. On the third Tuesday of September, the Dutch government presented the budget. It is the opening of the parliamentary year. It is a tradition that all female cabinet members and parliamentarians wear a hat and an beautiful dress.

For this occasion, I had my hat and dress designed by talented students from the Rijnijssel College for vocational education. And they designed this suit too.

I wanted to show the whole of the Netherlands what students of vocational education are capable of. And it gave a lot of exposure. And now I'm showing it to you.

On this note I would like to conclude this speech. I wish everybody a pleasant and inspiring evening. And I wish Skills Turkey a fantastic future!