Impact of KOSGEB Entrepreneurship Support Program (KOSGEB GDP) on employment and entrepreneurs attitudes towards KOSGEB GDP: The case of Antalya

Entrepreneurship has an important role in the development of economies of all sizes from the regional economy to the global economy. Entrepreneurship activities are supported by various institutions and organizations in order to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises, which are considered as the engines of the economies. In order to realize the formation and dissemination of entrepreneurial culture in Turkey and to increase the competitiveness of entrepreneurs by increasing their share in the economy, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization (KOSGEB) initiated the Entrepreneurship Support Program (GDP) on 15.06.2010. KOSGEB GDP aims to provide entrepreneurship support to entrepreneurs who have completed Applied Entrepreneurship Training, thus creating new employment areas and contributing to the national economy. This support program can be considered within the scope of the indirect employment policies of the state. By taking into account its economic and social dimensions, the state has put this support program into effect to increase employment as well. In this study, the extent to which entrepreneurs benefit from the KOSGEB GDP while providing employment in the enterprises they established and the effect of the program on employment are investigated. In this context, the age, gender and educational status of the entrepreneurs and employed personnel are examined and the characteristics of the employment provided by KOSGEB GDP are revealed. Entrepreneurs' attitudes towards the impact of the KOSGEB GDP on employment are examined. Besides using qualitative and descriptive analysis, the research has also employed survey as a method where in the field research, a questionnaire has been applied to 240 entrepreneurs who benefited from KOSGEB GDP between the years 2016-2018 in Antalya province. The obtained data have been analyzed with SPPS 22 program. As a result of the research; in addition to reaching the data reflecting the demographic and sectoral characteristics of the entrepreneurs in Antalya province, it was concluded that KOSGEB GDP plays an important role in the employment creation of entrepreneurs. It has been determined that there is a significant relationship between the age, gender, education level of the entrepreneurs who have benefited from KOSGEB GDP and the size of their enterprises, the amount of employment they create and the sector they operate in. Sectors highly benefiting from KOSGEB GDP in Antalya are determined and the sectoral distributions of these enterprises are found to exhibit substantial similarity with the general pattern in Turkey. The research presents data from the field which helps in understanding the effects of KOSGEB GDP on employment both in Antalya and throughout Turkey. The results and analysis derive from the research can serve as a guide for the prospective entrepreneurs, researchers working in this field and for those in decision-making positions in Turkey. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Employment, KOSGEB (The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organizitaion), Entrepreneurship Support Program, Antalya