The program, which ran from July 8 to October 15, 2019, included 60 hours of lectures and 15 hours of practical training for the participants. Ten of the students, mostly recent graduates from foreign trade departments of various universities, started working in the foreign trade departments of companies in OSTİM during the training period.
“OSTİM has mobilized all its resources”
OSTİM Foreign Trade Coordinator Dr. Meral Gündüz noted that they also cooperated with İŞKUR (Turkish Employment Agency) regarding the employment of the candidates. Gündüz said, “To be able to carry out this program, OSTİM mobilized all its resources, both within and outside the institution, for whatever we needed. Our companies believed in it and said, ‘We will employ them.’ And they did. As a result, we completed a 3.5-month training program within a very natural ecosystem with the OSTİM family.”
“It will contribute to our region”
OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone Regional Manager Adem Arıcı emphasized that OSTİM is a natural industrial ecosystem. Arıcı stated, “It is very important for our companies to support this program, raise awareness, employ the trainees, and provide them with assistance. I believe this program will contribute to our region, our companies, and our sectors. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this training.”
“The most important contribution to companies is developing foreign trade”
OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın stated that they are carrying out various initiatives to help companies in the region gain a competitive edge in international markets. He emphasized that these efforts include hosting seven sectoral clusters, adding, “We know that we cannot overcome the difficult period we have experienced in our country in recent years simply by talking. Therefore, what can we do, what can we contribute to our companies? For many years, we have been striving to bring our companies together under certain headings through clustering activities, aiming to give them a step or two ahead in international competition. The positive results from these clusters excite us. Our companies have the opportunity to see what is happening worldwide and to compare their own companies with international companies. The most important contribution we can make to our companies recently is developing foreign trade.”
"We want our work to create value and yield results. There are people who have received training in this field but cannot find jobs. This is because they lack the courage and self-confidence due to the lack of practical training. We have spoken with companies and told them that we believe their businesses would be better off if they hired an international trade employee," he said.
Aydın stated that they have implemented a beneficial model by bringing together many topics such as helping young people find jobs and teaching them about foreign trade, and helping companies establish the core of their foreign trade departments, adding: “We accomplished this with support from İŞKUR (Turkish Employment Agency). The education model at OSTİM Technical University is also this: learning by touching, solving, and reading about the solutions to problems that will be encountered in life. We are trying to do this learning method with a 'do-learn' model.”
“Foreign trade is an important sector”
Ankara Deputy Governor Abdullah Dölek, who attended the ceremony, emphasized that OSTİM has an important place in Turkey's security and economy. Congratulating the candidates who received foreign trade training, Dölek pointed out that universities in Turkey graduate thousands of students every year.
Abdullah Dölek said, “Among these graduates, those of you who have received certificates and are preparing for the future have jobs waiting for you. You have chosen a promising and promising field. Foreign trade is an important sector. We know that the salvation of the country lies here. I congratulate you. May you wave our country's flag in all corners of the world. You have chosen a sector where you can be of great benefit to yourselves, your surroundings, and your country and nation. I congratulate those who have trained you.”
Exports have begun to 6 new markets
Candidates received training in the following areas: Introduction to Foreign Trade, Target Market Identification and Analysis, Finding Customers, Business Opportunities, Digital Marketing, Planning International Marketing in Export and Target Market Selection, Strategy Formulation in Businesses, Awareness and Internal Motivation, International Payment Methods, Personal and Corporate Values, Foreign Trade Logistics, Delivery Methods (loading, shipping methods), Documents Used in Foreign Trade (shipping documents), Payment Methods, Pricing, and Customs Regulations.
As part of the Foreign Trade Specialist Training Project, 23 university graduates received training and practical exercises from 9 volunteer trainers between July and October. Visits were made to institutions and organizations such as KOSGEB, KOSGEB European Business Network, Central Anatolian Exporters' Associations (OAİB), and OSTİM Spare Parts. Within the scope of the project, 10 candidates were placed in jobs. These candidates initiated exports to 6 new markets where exports had not been made before. Negotiations are ongoing in 5 new markets. Participants in the training improved internal export business processes by developing and activating websites and social media, and were involved in export quality processes. They also managed the processes of bilateral business meetings, e-commerce platform memberships, and the effective use of these memberships.
Opinions
“The contribution of this education to my becoming a business owner is undeniable.”
Arda Köşmen - Training Program Participant: “I graduated from Çankaya University's International Trade Department in June 2019. The program helped me address my weaknesses and identify areas where I might struggle, allowing me to work more actively. The contribution of this training to my employment is undeniable. I have been working at Emin İpek Kauçuk for two months. Our primary goal is to increase our exports. I am continuing my efforts to make our company internationally recognizable over time.”
“The candidates know what we want”
Seyit Rıza Toluay - Norm Medikal Human Resources Director: “The program is extremely beneficial. We hired a candidate. The candidate's situation is vastly different from when we first met and after the training. Our personnel who completed this training meet our expectations. They managed to make sales in this field; they achieved this in a market like India. What strikes me in job interviews is that candidates who have received this training understand exactly what I want. My advice to candidates is to definitely not stop with this training, but to constantly update themselves. Because the world is evolving. There are many companies in Turkey that want to export but haven't. We have seen that if they approach these companies with the right job interviews and the right applications, they can definitely be persuasive.”
“We need to make more effort”
Ezgin Öğünç Durhan - General Manager of Tambursan: “Overall, it’s a very successful program. I followed it from beginning to end. I even had the opportunity to work with one of our colleagues. We were in a very good system for 3 months. The colleagues were very successful. Contributing to their success made me very proud. We need to make more effort, send more experts to the field with more training programs.”
“We are about to make some great deals”
Burcu Akarsu - Training Program Participant: “I work at Akmeda Medical. I am an agricultural engineer. I had no idea about foreign trade, but I started to become interested because of our company, and I did some research. I thought I wouldn't be able to do this job until I received support from our instructors during the training. Now we are in a position to receive a delegation from Pakistan. We are about to finalize agreements with Libya and Iraq. This is a tremendous advantage for us. The program has added a lot to us. I am doing my best to reflect this contribution to my company as well. We are about to make some great deals.”
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