TürkTraktör, the first manufacturing organization in Türkiye’s automotive sector, brought together more than 600 university students with expert academicians and businesspeople in the field during an education program organized in collaboration with Woman in Technology Association (Wtech) under the project “Miracles of Sprouts Technology and Innovation.” Held at Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul, the education program hosted students participating in perspectives training sessions provided by the Woman in Technology Association throughout the day.
Sessions bringing together leading figures in the technology world with young women discussed the most current developments in artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, metaverse, Internet of Things, and Industry 4.0 among many other subjects. Among the sessions was a program titled “Miracles of Sprouts: Stars of the Volleyball Court,” featuring national volleyball players Burcu Hakyemez Dal, Deniz Hakyemez, and Elif Ağca. Upon successfully completing the education program and receiving their smart digital certificates, students participated in a competition. As a result of the competition, two students received computers with support from the Hitay Foundation, 25 students received tablets with support from Lenovo, and 30 students received the book “The Secret of the Blue Strawberry (Mavi Çileğin Sırrı)” by Doret Habib. Following the training programs held in Gaziantep, Adana, Van, Mardin, and Istanbul, the next leg of the program is planned to take place in Ankara.
Expressing great satisfaction in gathering with university students through the program, Ceren Ertem Çimen, TürkTraktör’s Human, Culture & Transformation Business Leader, said, “As TürkTraktör celebrates its 70th anniversary, we are committed to sustainability in every area we operate in line with our goal of ‘Preparing for the Future.’ The Miracles of Sprouts Technology and Innovation project, which we have implemented to ensure that young women have a say in the future of technology, is one of the most valuable steps in our transformation journey. With our project aimed at reaching 30,000 people by the end of 2026, we aspire to prepare women for the future by supporting their development with holistic and multidimensional programs. With our new graduate program named ‘FutureDrive,’ we support young people’s participation in the workforce and their competency development. We aim to increase the ratio of female student interns at TürkTraktör to 50% and the ratio of female employees in technology and innovation to 50%. We will continue to create value to meet the need for an expert workforce in Türkiye’s technological transformation.”
Zehra Öney, the Founding President of the Woman in Technology Association, spoke about the lasting value created for Türkiye through their collaboration with TürkTraktör:
“TürkTraktör’s Miracles of Sprouts Technology and Innovation program perfectly aligns with our goals. Therefore, we are delighted to be part of this program. Our association’s aim is to train a competent workforce in the field of technology and to guide young girls and women to work in technology; especially those who, despite studying STEM fields, tend to work outside this area due to low motivation or other reasons. As part of our collaboration with TürkTraktör, we have worked intensively to provide perspectives training to 4,000 university student girls. We hosted more than 600 students in the Istanbul gathering. Through this training program, we aim to show that women and men are equal in the field of technology, to demonstrate that the future is built on technology, and to inform young women who want to improve themselves and help them acquire new talents that can turn into careers. According to the Council of Higher Education of Türkiye’s (YÖK) data, 51.7% of students in Türkiye are female. However, only 35% of women study in STEM fields, and only 10% of women work in STEM fields. In order to keep up with the pace of the new century, we need to increase the number of professionals in technology, and this will not be possible without women.”
Bechara Sader, General Manager of Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul, expressed his happiness in hosting the education program. He stated: “We are greatly honored and delighted to host TürkTraktör and the Woman in Technology Association for the biggest perspectives gathering of the year. As Shangri-La, ‘Doing Good’ in economic, social, and environmental sustainable activities is one of our commitments in the communities we operate in. We wholeheartedly believe in this program and our sprouts, which empower women in technology and entrepreneurship, creating lasting value.”
