Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu, in his speech here, said that as TOBB, they believe that the priority issue of the country is education and that they act with this vision.

Hisarcıklıoğlu informed that they have brought 153 educational facilities to Türkiye and young people so far, “We are not satisfied with this. Every year, we supported our students in need. Since 2002, we have provided educational assistance to 200,000 students in 81 provinces through our Chambers and Commodity Exchanges, and we continue to do so. During the pandemic period, we distributed 30,000 tablet computers with the support of our Chambers and Commodity Exchanges in order to provide equal opportunities in remote education. In higher education, we acted with the same sense of responsibility and did our part. In order to carry our country and business world into the future, we established TOBB University of Economics and Technology in 2003. Despite its young age, today it has taken its place among the leading universities of our country.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that as TOBB, the total volume of all investments and supports they have made for education has reached 3.6 billion TL, “But we did not stop here, we are embarking on a new and grander endeavor. As TOBB, we have taken action for 154 new schools in 154 districts where our Chambers and Commodity Exchanges are located.”

In this context, Hisarcıklıoğlu gave the good news that they will build 8 new schools in Central İzmir, Bayındır, Bergama, Menemen, Ödemiş, Selçuk, Tire and Torbalı.

Stating that İzmir Aliağa OIZ Vocational High School, with its 24 classrooms, student dormitories and gym, is one of the biggest school investments and a complete vocational training complex to date, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Our young people will receive qualified education here. In this way, our business world will have the qualified human resources it needs.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu explained that Ender Yorgancılar, President of the Aegean Region Chamber of Industry, worked for the development and enrichment of İzmir and the industry, and said, “I was a witness to this both here and in Ankara. Because I work with him in Ankara, on the General Administrative Board of TOBB and on the management of TEPAV, Türkiye’s largest think tank. He is also the president of our international investment company Tobtim and the Global Standards Agency that operates the barcode system in our country. With their knowledge and experience, they represent you in the best way in Ankara, bringing your every problem to Ankara and seeking solutions. They also made EBSO the first in Türkiye with the highest accreditation level among the chambers of industry. I am very pleased to work with my brother Ender.”

Stating that “vocational education is our future,” Hisarcıklıoğlu continued: “We have implemented another first to make this more attractive. With the Cooperation Protocol in Vocational Education, which we prepared together with the Ministry of Education, we started the reform movement in vocational education. We had always dreamed of it. And for the first time, our private sector had a say in vocational education through our Chambers and Commodity Exchanges. We have turned 117 Vocational and Technical Anatolian High Schools in 81 provinces into a door of hope and expertise for our young people. The occupancy rate in our schools within the scope of the Vocational Education Cooperation Protocol at LGS was 97 percent. And it shows the success of these schools in terms of being preferred. As TOBB, we work with the awareness that there will never be any loss from the investment made in education. We prepare our young people for the future. As Türkiye’s entrepreneurial power, we will continue to invest in the future of our country. As Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of our country, emphasized; ‘Thanks to schools, thanks to the knowledge and science that schools will provide, the art, economics and literature of the Turkish nation will develop.’”