WYG International was the lead contractor providing Technical assistance to the labour redeployment component of the World Bank Privatisation Social Support Project. The Project comprised a wide range of development and training services and active employment measures and was a jointly-funded activity between the Turkish authorities and the World Bank. The WYG International team of full-time Turkish experts supported by a pool of international and Turkish specialists worked with the Privatisation Administration to design, develop and implement projects under the Labour Redeployment programme, which had funding for the measures valued at over $240m. Projects were implemented for over 30 organizations in more than 110 locations throughout Turkey. The majority of measures were intended to assist workers retrain and develop new vocational skills and establish new businesses. The programme delivered support to former employees of state owned industries and the existing unemployed. Each person was provided with a range of options including a vocational training course, training in self-employment, a medium term (six months) public works programme or in some cases, relocation.

Work on the project included development of the criteria for selection onto the scheme, the provision of sub-contracts with regional labour offices and small business services, leading to the creation of a national network of training and small business counselling service providers. Outputs included the creation of an embryonic network of 5 small business incubators training for 27,000 unemployed persons and business start up services for 1,200 persons.

The project designed and implemented a series of regional social and economic surveys to determine the impact of the privatisation programme on the labour market and the potential mitigation of the social support project. The conclusions of surveys were used to direct the retraining programmes to meet specific needs of employers and to monitor the effectiveness of the training provided.

WYG International was also responsible for the promotion of the programme throughout the different regions to both former and current employees and potential employers. Direct assistance delivered through the project included institutional development and capacity building, development of sub-contractors to deliver vocational guidance and training services, the design of vocational training, business start-up and community-based training services, systems and MIS development and the monitoring and evaluation of programme activities.