NITI Aayog, a government agency tasked with providing policy inputs, has cited skill development programmes in Türkiye as an example that should be emulated by India to promote its medium-sized enterprises.
In a recent report titled Designing a Policy for Medium Enterprises, the top government think tank referred to Türkiye’s e-Akademi — an online training platform providing subsidised courses and enhanced accessibility for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across regions — as a practitioner of the best global practices for skill development.
The report recommended that India adopt strategies developed by Türkiye’s Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organisation (KOSGEB).
KOSGEB offers remote training in entrepreneurship, which can be availed through the e-Akademi programme.
Country is ‘a world leader in uncrewed aerial vehicle production,’ Recep Tayyip Erdogan says at party congress in Ankara.
In 2023, bilateral trade between Türkiye and India reached approximately $9.5 billion, with Ankara importing goods worth $7.9 billion. Key imports included petroleum products, automotive parts, textiles, and pharmaceuticals. Major exports to India were gold, machinery, chemicals, and agricultural products.
Enterprises that employ fewer than 250 people annually and whose net annual sales do not exceed 500 million Turkish liras are defined as SMEs. Nearly 4 million SMEs currently operate in Türkiye in the industrial and services sectors, constituting 99.7 percent of the total businesses in 2023. Their share in employment is 70.5 percent.
Turkish SMEs held a 35 percent share in total exports and a 20 percent share in total imports in 2023.
The NITI Aayog report emphasised the need for a tailored and data-driven approach to skill development that aligns with the country’s industrial needs.
“Skill development can help medium enterprises leverage new technologies effectively. Targeted support and handholding may be essential for medium enterprises, helping them integrate advanced technologies like AI (artificial intelligence), IoT (internet of things), and automation into their business operations,” it said.
Other than Türkiye, the NITI Aayog report cited the skill development programmes in Canada, Singapore and Australia as successful models for emulation.
