The impact of vocational and technical education expenditures at the secondary education level on economic growth (The case of Turkey, 2006–2025)

This study examines the impact of vocational and technical education expenditures at the secondary education level in Turkey on economic growth during the period 2006–2025. The aim of the study is to reveal the contribution of human capital investments, particularly public expenditures in the field of vocational and technical education, to economic growth. İn the study attempts to explain the concepts of human capital and economic growth theoretically. Human capital theory, the dynamics of economic growth, factors affecting economic growth, active and passive labor force, youth unemployment, and returns on per capita investment are comprehensively discussed. The general structure of vocational and technical education, its development in Turkey, a comparative analysis with OECD countries, and vocational and technical education programs within formal and non-formal education. The analysis part of presents a literature review, econometric methods, and the data set. Real GDP per capita was used as the dependent variable in the study, while vocational and technical education expenditures at the secondary education level were used as the independent variable. ADF (Augmented Dickey-Fuller) and Fourier ADL (Fourier Augmented Distributed Lag) tests were applied in the analyses using data from 2006 to 2025. The findings reveal a significant and positive relationship between vocational and technical education expenditures at the secondary education level and economic growth in Turkey.