A new project, which seeks to train and increase awareness among 80,000 women across Türkiye in technology, was launched on Tuesday in Istanbul.
The project, titled "Equal Opportunity in Technology," is organized by a trilateral partnership between Yapı Kredi Bank, the International Training Implementation and Research Center (CIFAL Istanbul) affiliated with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and Bahçeşehir University (BAU).
"We believe that the presence of women in every field of business life is an indicator of civilization for countries. From this perspective, as the industry leader in gender equality and female employment for many years, we have carried out many pioneering studies to date," said Yapı Kredi Deputy General Manager Özden Önaldı.
"As an institution that uncompromisingly advocates for gender equality, we work with all our strength to ensure equal opportunities for women in the field of technology and innovation," she added.
Highlighting that in line with the global leadership initiated by the bank’s main shareholder, Koç Holding, at the United Nations Women's Generation Equality Forum last year, Önaldı further acknowledged their commitment to working on ensuring equal opportunities for women and girls in technology and innovation for the next three years.
Within the scope of the project, comprehensive training content has been prepared by experts in the field, covering topics from big data to artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud technologies to cybersecurity.
The project aims to reach 80,000 women in three years through training provided by Yapı Kredi Academy and Bahçeşehir University. Participants who achieve a score of 70% or higher in the final exam after completing the training will be eligible to receive the "Equal Opportunity in Technology" certificate, jointly signed by Yapı Kredi, UNITAR and BAU.
Participants with a 75% attendance in the training will also be able to receive a UNITAR-accredited achievement certificate. The training is free to all women aged 18-27 across Türkiye. It will be available to young individuals living in Umut Kentler, implemented by Koç Holding, and in earthquake-prone areas without gender discrimination.
"Social responsibility projects shape not only individuals and communities but also our future," said Professor Ebru Canan-Sokullu, CIFAL Istanbul-UNITAR Director.
"In the light of gender equality, we aim to contribute to the transformation of not only individuals but also the business world by reaching thousands of young women with the 'Equal Opportunity in Technology' project," Canan-Sokullu further said.
CIFAL Istanbul was established in 2019 in collaboration with Bahçeşehir University. The center’s mission is to advance and enhance capacity on the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals for public and private sector leaders, nongovernmental organization representatives, academics, local authorities and students.
For the success of this project, we are taking an important step together toward building a more fair and sustainable future, she added. "In the implementation of this project, we must be aware that we have a responsibility not only today but also as leaders of tomorrow," Canan-Sokullu highlighted.
"We look forward to celebrating this great success we will achieve together and taking the first steps of our project together."
Professor Tunç Bozbura, vice-rector of BAU, for his part, said "'Equal Opportunity in Technology' is a valuable collaboration" carried out jointly with Yapı Kredi, an initiative created to empower women through technology and science education.
"With this project, we aim to increase women's employment and gender equality in the sector, strengthen the potential talents of young women and develop female leaders in the sector," he said.