Attending the "Vocational Training Course with Employment Guarantee" protocol ceremony, Rector Prof. Dr. Ömer Çomaklı signed the memorandum of collaboration.

Apart from Atatürk University Rector Prof. Dr. Ömer Çomaklı, Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mehmet Sekmen, AK Party Provincial Chairman İbrahim Küçükoğlu, İŞKUR Erzurum Provincial Director Abdulkadir Mutlu, 1st Organised Industrial Zone President Murat Urkuç, Yavuz Tekstil General Manager Alaattin Torunoğlu, KOSGEB Provincial Director Lütfullah Aktaş and trainees attended the protocol ceremony.

Under the framework of the convention, vocational training courses with job guarantee will be arranged in a way to mix theoretical and practical training in public-private sector collaboration in order to train the labour force in the qualifications expected by the labour market.

Within the framework of the cooperation agreement, it is meant to bring those without a profession or work experience into the labour market by means of theoretical and practical trainings, thereby transforming them into qualified labour force. At least seventy percent of the trainees will be hired by the textile company for at least three times the length of the program at the conclusion.

"We carry out our studies in a way that will benefit the society," Rector Çomaklı says.

"As Atatürk University, we have been putting social contribution at the centre of our work since 2016 with the New Generation University Design and Transformation Project. We have been working in a way that will benefit the society since the first day they took office," said Rector Prof. Dr. Ömer Çomaklı, who took the floor to evaluate the topic. One of the key goals of our project has always been enhancing contacts and cooperation with the public and commercial world, which we consider as vital components of society. In this regard, we have come to know several effective academic, public, and commercial partnerships."

"We support the efforts of our units facing society".

Rector çomaklı said that ATA Teknokent, which has hosted hundreds of entrepreneurs since its founding, has a total of 132 companies, 35 of which are academic companies, and that they continue their activities actively: "We attach great importance to the work of our units that face the society at the point of transforming academic knowledge into value and we support them to the end. Particularly since 2018, businesses whose R&D activities have finished and whose products have entered the commercialisation stage have earned domestic sales of around 933 million TL and international sales of almost 12 million USD until 2024."

"Participation to Employment at the End of the Course"

"Atatürk has pioneered the realisation of approximately 350 Academic Consultancy, Contract R&D Projects and International R&D Projects within the scope of University-Industry cooperation during its activity. Rector Çomaklı underlined that as Atatürk University, they are in contact with both external stakeholders as well as internal stakeholders and that they have implemented many studies that would help social welfare. For our university, Business Positive studies are thus also quite helpful in this regard. Moreover, I would want to state that it makes me great pleasure to participate in these University studies. I would want to appreciate Yavuz Tekstil Limitet Company and Erzurum Provincial Directorate of Labour and Employment Agency for their cooperation. Within the parameters of my vocational training, I hope that this project—which will equip 100 women scholarship holders for employment at the end of the course—will be lucky for all sides and I send my respects.

Mayor Sekmen said, "As Metropolitan Municipality, we are always with our investors".

ERZurum Metropolitan Municipality Apart from municipal activities, Mayor Mehmet Sekmen said they have taken steps to draw investors to Erzurum and supported significant businesses to make investments in Erzurum. He expressed thanks to the investors who would rather Erzurum. Emphasising that Erzurum will play a key role with the newly established 2nd Organised Industrial Zone, Mayor Sekmen noted that numerous brand factories would visit Erzurum, hence unemployment will drop dramatically and the city's economic ecology will get pace. "Every investor who adds value to the production, employment, and exports of our city has a place above our heads," Mayor Sekmen said likewise. We live with them constantly as the Metropolitan Municipality. As always, we will keep trying to remove the challenges in front of them and help them in their employment. With the training schedule we signed, perhaps all sides will benefit."

The co-operation protocol, which comprised the articles with the shared working spaces, was signed at the protocol ceremony, and a souvenir picture with the trainees was taken at last.

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION DIRECTORATE - July 26, 2024