Consumer Academy Erasmus Project

Project Title

Consumer Academy

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Open and distance learning; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

According to the previous studies on consumer profile carried out in Turkey, the level of conciousness among consumers on issues such as consumer rights, legal framework and recourse mechanisms needed to be improved to establish a properly and efficiently working consumer protection system. Under the previous Twinning Project conducted by the Ministry, the Consumer Information System (TUBIS) was formed. The system accessed via www.tuketici.gov.tr address was established in order to simplify the reach of consumers to basic information and news; however a more extensive platform was needed for consumers’ education issue.

On the other hand, the new act on consumer protection no. 6502 entered into force in May 2014 was designed according to the needs of the consumers and the secondary legislation were revised in concordance with the related EU directives. The 28th Chapter of the negotiations between Turkey and EU is Consumer and Health Protection. Scanning of the legal framework and implementations within EU and the rest of the world is on the Ministry’s agenda for the past decade especially.

Combining those necessities, building an online education platform ensuring the participation of individual consumers, NGOs, public institutions, private sector representatives, members of the academic institutions and judicial organs, as well as partners from EU became a must and formed the basis for Consumer Academy.

Consumer Academy, is an online education platform in which;
– various audio-visual materials were produced and classified according to the user profiles,
– the users of different profiles get in contact and interaction in line with their own roles and purposes in terms of consumer protection,
– besides sharing the current information and experience, an environment available for producing new information was formed through the interaction among the actors in the field of consumer protection,
– the information produced is transmitted to the masses and specifically targeted groups in Turkey and abroad through various communication channels.

Reaching these also ended up in;

– an increase in the level of consciousness among the consumers, in terms of the legal framework in Turkey and the EU especially.
– a decrease in the unnecessary workload of the Ministry, Consumer Problems Arbitration Committees and Consumer Courts.
– a new channel for the NGOs and academic institutions to gather information, produce knowledge from the gathered information and tranfer the knowledge to the target groups using a reliable source of communication administered by a public institution.
– a new and quick mechanism to learn settlement resorts on consumer disputes regarding general, product safety and advertisements complaints
– a medium where online education tools were made available to the e-learners and users of all kind.

To enhance the quality of the products of the project and incorporate the legal attitudes and implementations from the EU, Hungarian Authority for Consumer Protection (Public), Docklands Academy London (Education Institution) and Aviva Ltd. Poland (Private) participated in the project as partners. As well as their role in the formation of the platform, these partners contributed to the dissemination activities abroad. Those three institutions functioned as a hub to establish a network within Hungary, England, Poland and eventually to form links with other stakeholders from the rest of Europe.

At the local level, TÜPADEM (Hacettepe University – The Center of Consumer and Market Research, Consulting, Test and Education), TÜKÇEV (Foundation for Consumer and Environment Education) and Ankara Provincial Directorate of Trade – one of the most active provincial organization units of the Ministry of Customs and Trade – were included in the project due to their high potential to contribute in the
formation of the content within Consumer Academy and their capacity to disseminate the project results throughout the country.

In order to reach the desired results and disseminate project results during the project term and onwards, 4 transnational meetings;

including the Kick-off meeting and Closing Conference to be held in Turkey and one meeting in Hungary and England each, 1 local and 4 project evaluation meetings was organized. Formation of the Consumer Academy on-line education platform, production of videos, organization of the transnational meetings, printing of project and academic study results and translation activities were all subcontracted.

In the long term, Consumer Academy also contributed to the interactive information production and sharing culture among the actors in the scope of consumer protection.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 203870,22 Eur

Project Coordinator

Turkish Ministry of Customs and Trade – The Directorate General for Consumer Protection and Market Surveillance & Country: TR

Project Partners

• The Center of Consumer and Market Research Consulting Test and Education
• T.C. ANKARA VALILIGI TICARET IL MUDURLUGU
• AVIVA POLAND – VOCATIONAL TRAINING SP. Z O.O.
• SIMPLY ALLIANCE LTD
• TUKETICI VE CEVRE EGITIM VAKFI
• NEMZETI FOGYASZTOVEDELMI HATOSAG