Gakken Holdings, the Japanese education company, is launching an ambitious industrial training program in Turkey targeting 150,000 workers by 2030, primarily for employment at Japanese-operated factories in the country.
The initiative will establish training centers in three industrial hubs across western Turkey, with programs beginning this September at the Manisa Organized Industrial Park near Izmir. A permanent training facility will be constructed there by 2027, alongside additional centers in Istanbul and Bursa, requiring investments of several billion yen (with ¥1 billion equivalent to $6.7 million).
The program will offer more than 100 courses ranging from equipment automation and productivity improvement to Japanese language instruction and logical thinking. Course fees will vary from $30 to $500 per person depending on duration, which spans from half-day sessions to multi-day programs.
Gakken’s training will be delivered through its subsidiaries Toasu, which specializes in corporate training, and IC Net, which focuses on manufacturing personnel development in developing countries. The company is pursuing partnerships with ten factory equipment manufacturers this year, with SMC—a Japanese pneumatic control device leader—already signed as its first partner.
The initiative responds to Turkey’s evolving manufacturing landscape, where rising wages and costs are driving demand for automation and technological advancement. The country serves as a manufacturing hub for automotive, steel, and home appliance industries with significant Japanese presence.
Gakken will maintain a database of program graduates to share with Japanese companies operating in Turkey and plans to eventually expand its training services to other regions in the Middle East and Africa.
