BTSO Takes a ‘Remarkable’ Step for Next-Generation Vehicle Technologies

The Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTSO) has launched the ‘Next Generation Vehicle Technologies Sectoral Vocational Education Competence Development and Excellence Center’ to foster innovative and qualified transformation in the hybrid, electric, and autonomous vehicle technologies sector. The center, which is the first of its kind in Turkey, has been established through the collaboration of BTSO with the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the Ministry of National Education, with grant support from the European Union Human Resources Development Program.

The Excellence Center, brought to Turkey’s automotive production hub Bursa, under the leadership of BTSO, plays a pioneering role in providing training infrastructure for the next generation of motor vehicles. Operating under the umbrella of the BTSO Education Foundation through BUTGEM, the center ensures the training of qualified workforce in the sector.

The ‘Remarkable’ Center İbrahim Burkay, Chairman of the BTSO Board of Directors, emphasized the contribution of the domestically developed and national car TOGG, which has been embraced as Bursa’s car since day one, to the qualified transformation of the automotive industry and human resources. Burkay highlighted the need for new job areas such as service networks, charging stations, and battery technologies with the emergence of next-generation vehicles, stating, “In this context, we have established our excellence center for new generation vehicles at BUTGEM, one of the largest vocational training institutions in our country, to meet the qualified workforce needs of our industry.”

“Targeting to Meet the Sector’s Manpower Needs” Burkay noted that the excellence center, supported by European Union funds, provides vocational training for personnel who will work in production and service networks related to electric, hybrid, and autonomous vehicles. He stated, “I believe that our project assumes an important mission in the transformation of our companies. In this evolving economy, we need to prepare our human resources for new areas. Our goal is to eliminate the personnel gap in new generation technologies.”

A First in Turkey President Burkay emphasized that the sector is evolving day by day with new technologies and trends. He said, “We closely monitor the changes and the new structure brought about by these developments. The center we established at BUTGEM is the first application in this field in Turkey. With our project, we have carried out significant work to strengthen the vocational training infrastructure in new generation vehicle technologies in Bursa, the locomotive of the automotive industry, and to train qualified personnel for the automotive main and ancillary industries. As the Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, we will continue to contribute to our automotive industry.”

Closing Ceremony of the Project The closing ceremony of the Sectoral Vocational Education and Training Center Project in Next-Generation Vehicle Technologies was also held at the BTSO Main Service Building. Muhsin Koçaslan, BTSO Board Member, Rengin Eren, Chairman of the BTSO Automotive Council, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Karahan, Director of Bursa Uludağ University Technical Sciences Vocational School and Project Coordinator, and sector representatives attended the closing program.

Fully Equipped 4 Workshops Four fully equipped training workshops consisting of electric and hybrid vehicle and equipment were established under BUTGEM. Within the scope of the project, needs analyses were conducted involving vocational teachers, students, and industry workers to determine the training qualifications in the field of next-generation vehicle technologies. Based on the results of the needs analysis, academic-level training materials were prepared for Next-Generation Vehicle Technologies, and original virtual and augmented reality applications were developed. Hundreds of vocational teachers from many cities in Turkey received in-service training at the center to improve their vocational skills. Collaborating with leading companies in the sector and signing protocols, the center will pioneer the training of new generation masters in its sector.