TRANSITION FROM HIGHER EDUCATION TO WORK AMONG SYRIAN MIGRANTS IN TÜRKİYE

Date

2025-8

Author

Kurt, Okan

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Forced migration, driven by threats to individuals’ lives and well-being, creates complex socio-political and economic challenges for host countries like Türkiye, necessitating sustainable approaches to foster migrants’ agency and economic contributions. Higher education is crucial, enabling forced migrants to develop capabilities, reduce aid dependency, and contribute to host societies through skilled labor. This study examines Syrian forced migrants in Türkiye post-2011, focusing on their increasing participation in higher education until this year and the recent decline in access. Using a phenomenological approach, this study examines the education-to-employment transition of 31 employed Syrian forced migrants in Türkiye through semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. Framed by human capital theory and the capability approach, it evaluates migrants’ investment decisions and experiences while also emphasizing the role of inclusive institutions within the theoretical framework. The findings reveal that, despite adaptive preferences and the pursuit of valued higher education credentials for future aspirations, access to higher education facilitates employment pathways but does not inherently promote professional social mobility or enhance well-being. Limited freedom to choose within higher education and constrained agency within market structures restrict individuals' capability to fully realize their potential. Instead, the educational experience fosters career contextualization, where the development of human capital remains critical, yet insufficient, for overcoming structural barriers and achieving meaningful professional outcomes. Although many participants express satisfaction with their employment roles, the interplay of individual agency and the constraints of non-inclusive institutional frameworks limits the full utilization of their capabilities.

Subject Keywords

Forced Migration, Employment Transition, Human Capital Theory, Capability Approach, Inclusive Institutions

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/115528

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis