A New Era for Certificate Programs

According to the regulation sent by YÖK to universities, new certificate programs to be launched by Continuing Education Centers as of 1 October 2026 will be evaluated in accordance with the quality criteria established by YÖK. Certificates issued to participants who successfully complete programs deemed eligible will, for the first time, be centrally issued by YÖK and will be digitally verifiable through the e-Government portal.

What Is the Purpose?

This initiative aims to ensure that certificate programs offered by universities are brought under common quality standards. It also seeks to enhance the reliability of training programs, enable digital verification of certificates, and establish a more systematic lifelong learning ecosystem. In this way, transparency and credibility of certificate programs will be strengthened for both participants and employers.

An Integrated Structure with Micro-Credentials

The Micro-Credentials Framework recently introduced by YÖK paved the way for the recognition of knowledge and skills acquired outside traditional university education within the academic system. The new quality assurance approach for certificate programs is considered an important complement to this transformation. Through this framework, YÖK aims to establish a new higher education model focused on competencies and lifelong learning.

Importance for Continuing Education Centers

Continuing Education Centers play a key role in lifelong learning by providing professional development and personal development programs for individuals from various age groups and professional backgrounds. This new initiative introduced by YÖK will strengthen quality assurance in the training programs offered by Continuing Education Centers while ensuring that certificates provided to participants become more reliable and verifiable at the national level.

The step taken by YÖK in the field of lifelong learning aims to reinforce quality assurance within the higher education system and to improve certificate programs offered by university Continuing Education Centers under common standards. Supported by digitally verifiable certificates, centralized quality assessment, and the micro-credentials approach, this new framework represents a significant development that will further enhance the role of lifelong learning within higher education.

Source: Council of Higher Education of Türkiye (YÖK), A Major Transformation in Lifelong Learning in Higher Education – Official Announcement.