This study explores the experiences of refugee students enrolled in Vocational Training Centers (VTCs) in Türkiye, illuminating how economic imperatives and legal frameworks shape their educational trajectories. Drawing on qualitative data from students, parents, and educators, it finds that VTCs function primarily as pathways for rapid labor market integration, rather than fostering holistic development, critical thinking, and democratic engagement. Participants describe educational environments marked by limited academic content, irregular school attendance, and exclusionary workplace practices, which collectively reinforce social stratification and constrain opportunities for mobility. While VTCs offer refugee youth pragmatic responses to immediate economic pressures, this narrow focus risks reducing education to a tool of short-term survival, sidelining broader social and civic goals. The study calls for inclusive and critical pedagogical approaches that empower refugee students for meaningful civic and economic participation in society. Policy recommendations include aligning vocational education with knowledge-based models responsive to both labor market demands and the specific social integration needs of refugee students, strengthening pathways to higher education, and fostering collaboration between educational institutions and labor market actors. Ultimately, this study suggests that reimagining VTCs as inclusive, future-oriented spaces is crucial for transcending purely utilitarian paradigms and better promoting social justice and democratic participation for refugee youth. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd
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