CEOs gather to train 100,000 IT specialists for Gebze-based IT Valley
by Barış Şimşek
ANKARAMay 17, 2016 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Barış Şimşek
May 17, 2016 12:00 am
Top officials from many global firms will meet in Istanbul to hold talks on a training project for 100,000 IT specialists who will lead Turkey's research and development activities in the IT Valley in Gebze this year
The chief executives representing a number of global companies present in Turkey will gather soon in Istanbul to discuss the training of 100,000 information technology (IT) specialists for employment in the Gebze-based IT Valley, which will be opened at the end of this year. During a training program to be hosted by the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology, CEOs will share their knowledge and experiences in IT and offer know-how to facilitate the training of IT specialists, who will reshape Turkey's research and development (R&D) activities.
Additionally, academics from Kocaeli University, Gebze Technical University and Turkish Employment Organization (İŞKUR) will contribute to the training of IT professionals for the IT Valley, cited among Turkey's vision projects for 2023.
Construction work on the IT Valley resumed this week after a brief stop due to a court decision. Rough construction work on three buildings in Gebze has been completed and details are expected to be completed by the end of this year. When construction is completed, the IT Valley will serve as a giant science center for a 10,000-square-meter area.
According to the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology, many Turkish giants, including Koç System Information and Communication Services Inc. and Sabancı Group's BİMSA, have applied to secure a place in the IT Valley. The ministry has offered bid to world technology giants to establish their own research and development centers in the valley.
At the moment, the IT Valley's most basic need is qualified human resources. Kocaeli University, Gebze Technical University and İŞKUR are conducting joint studies under the leadership of the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology to raise IT professionals. The ministry has increased the IT specialist vacancy to 100,000 from 70,000, in an attempt to provide employment for currently unemployed university-educated people, who will receive certificates after undergoing a 12-month training program in Gebze. These certificates will have international validity.
The ministry aims to move training programs to Istanbul and Ankara from Kocaeli. IT and technology specialists from international companies operating in Turkey have been asked to join the training process and contribute to the training of staff for the IT Valley. A couple of weeks ago, the ministry issued job postings to find IT specialists with at least five years of experience and pledged to pay TL 16,000 ($5,369) of their salary. Many university-educated people will find employment for the first time following the 12-month certificate program and will be paid an average monthly salary of TL 4,000 ($1,342).
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