EGİAD has reached 1,500 young people in 15 years with the Life School.

EGİAD Life School, one of the social responsibility projects of the Aegean Young Businessmen Association (EGİAD), opened its doors on November 2. Aiming to strengthen the social competencies of vocational school students with high technical skills, so that they are preferred in the business world and start their professional lives one step ahead, EGİAD has begun training to support the career planning of over 100 successful young individuals selected from vocational schools associated with universities in Izmir. Thanks to this program, which has been ongoing for 15 years, a total of 1500 students have been prepared for the workforce with EGİAD.

The EGİAD Life School, which has been one of the social responsibility projects of the Aegean Young Businessmen Association for 16 years, started its training at the EGİAD Association Center. Through this project, which hosts over 100 vocational school students from 8 universities in Izmir, young people will have the chance to acquire new skills on important topics in the business world. Under the title “How Will Artificial Intelligence Change Our Lives?” Taylan Demirkaya from İzmir Economy University, Seçil Yıldırım Çelebi from the Young Success Foundation on Future Professions and 21st Century Competencies, Prof. Dr. Engin Deniz Eriş from Dokuz Eylul University on Time Management and Organizational Skills, Ece Sarıcı from the Stay in the Game Association on Self-awareness and Communication Skills, Alp Avni Yelkenbiçer, Chairman of the EGİAD Board, and EGİAD Board Members Hakan Barbak, İlker Erdiliballı, and EGİAD Business Development Commission President İsmail Girginoğlu will share their expertise with the youth. The training will last for 5 weeks and will conclude with a certificate ceremony on November 30.

Strong Support for Vocational School Students

On the first day of the Life School, EGİAD President Alp Avni Yelkenbiçer met with the youth and delivered an opening speech, stating that their goal is to support the social development of students’ technical competencies. He said, “With this training program, we aimed to enhance your personal competencies that you need to take strong steps into the future, in addition to the valuable vocational technical knowledge and skills you have gained in your schools. It is a source of pride for us to be here with you, our valuable young people, whom we see as the architects of the future, and to contribute to your life journey. We continue our Life School program this year as well. The aim of our Life School program is to support the preparation of successful vocational school students like you for the business world, to provide opportunities to meet with business people, and to equip you with new and social competencies needed in the business world through interactive training and workshops. At the end of the program, bringing you together with our businessperson members of the association, allowing you to get inspired from them and find internship opportunities is also among our goals.”

“You Are Not Just Intermediate Staff, You Are Qualified Main Staff”

Emphasizing that having a strong and competent workforce is essential for a country to compete globally and to be on par with developed economies in an age where production, innovation, and technology are rapidly advancing, EGİAD President Yelkenbiçer stated, “I want to underline the importance of vocational and technical education for our country. The workforce is primarily composed of young people who receive vocational and technical education like you. We believe that vocational education should be intertwined with developments in industry and technology because practical skills are valued as much as theoretical knowledge in today’s business world. At this point, I want to make a very important emphasis; unfortunately, the term ‘intermediate staff’ is often used for graduates of two-year vocational schools. However, we know that you play critical roles in the business world. You are not ‘intermediate staff,’ but ‘Qualified Main Staff,’ and we believe that the system’s driving force is not only supportive but also inherently propulsive. Thanks to the knowledge and skills you possess, you directly contribute to the development of our country in every field from production to technology, and from industry to the service sector.”

“We Want to Provide a Roadmap for Young People”

Yelkenbiçer stated, “Today, you must stand out not only with your technical knowledge but also with your level of personal development. Your ability to learn how to learn, to continuously renew yourself, your ability to think critically, your openness to different perspectives, your ability to collaborate, and your problem-solving skills will differentiate you in the future. In the future world, personal skills such as creativity, digital literacy, leadership, effective communication, and adaptability have become very important in addition to technical skills. With this program, we aim not only for you to be competent individuals in your fields but also to be strong and conscious individuals with a broader vision who can adapt to the changing world. We are determined to provide you not just with knowledge but also with a roadmap in this process.”

Later, İzmir Economy University Lecturer Taylan Demirkaya met with the students and offered advice on the topic of artificial intelligence. Demirkaya suggested that when working with artificial intelligence, one should use their own data and research, saying, “Before working with artificial intelligence, identify the problem, goal, target audience, and possible solutions. Conduct your own observations and interviews with the target audience. Create a workflow using artificial intelligence tools suitable for your needs. Validate and improve the artificial intelligence output from the source.”