Tüpraş celebrates first graduates of the ‘Entrepreneurship Program for Empowering Young Minds and Women,’ a joint initiative with Batman University
The program’s courses on entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation, in addition to the broader experience, helped the 40 university students develop key competitive skills to shape their future.
The certificate ceremony for the ‘Entrepreneurship Program for Empowering Young Minds and Women,’ a Tüpraş and Batman University collaboration, took place on January 17, 2024, in the Rectorate Conference Hall on Batman University Main Campus. Batman University hosted the certificate ceremony and invitees included Ayten Canalp, M.D., wife of Batman Governor; Prof. Idris Demir, Ph.D., Rector of Batman University; Assoc. Prof. Mehtap Nasıroğlu, Director of the Women and Family Studies Research and Application Center; Assoc. Prof. and Faculty Member Şahide Akbulut; Faculty Member Mehmet Akif Kay, Ph.D., Director of the Career Center; Volkan Demirtaş, Director of the Batman Refinery; Çiler Teber, Tüpraş Corporate Communications Manager; Funda Çetin, Tüpraş Innovation and Venture Capital Manager; Melis Yirçi, Innovation Coordinator; academicians, and program students. Participants were recognized for their valuable contributions and certificates were presented to gifted young individuals.
The first stage of the Tüpraş ‘Entrepreneurship Program for Empowering Young Minds and Women’ consisted of Seminars on the Fundamentals of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which were open to all students. In the second stage, 40 students evaluated and selected from juniors and seniors, received intensive entrepreneurship training. Tüpraş tailored the Entrepreneurship Program for university students and female students comprised 60 percent of program participants.
Students were given the opportunity to work with experienced mentors within Tüpraş
Consisting of modules on innovative idea development, initiative startup, problem-solving, market research, business model components, entrepreneurship tools, and presentation techniques, the program helped students polish their problem-solving and product development skills. Students who successfully completed their projects received the Entrepreneurship Program Participation Certificate.
Experienced mentors from Tüpraş's in-house entrepreneurship program also made valuable contributions to the program. Participants worked in groups led by mentors to generate entrepreneurship projects and were guided toward the entrepreneurship ecosystem to commercialize their project ideas.
This program is a prime example of university and industry cooperation.”
Certificates were presented following student presentations. Batman University Rector Prof. Dr. İdris Demir, Ph.D., noted in his speech the unique experience and knowledge offered by this cooperation to students: “This program is a prime example of university and industry cooperation. We offered the youth support on innovation and entrepreneurship to ensure they gain a more confident outlook on the future.”
Demir also added: “Another highlight of the program was the support provided to young minds. Workshops designed to help women take on more active roles in the business world also garnered significant interest. ‘Entrepreneurship Program for Empowering Young Minds and Women’ instilled key skills in participants. We are confident that young minds and women entrepreneurs will receive increasing support through similar projects in the coming years and that such cooperations will contribute significantly to the national economy.”
“In Batman, we commenced the first stage of our goal to create powerful entrepreneurship ecosystems where women have higher visibility.”
Tüpraş Corporate Communications Manager Çiler Teber congratulated the students who have completed the ‘Entrepreneurship Program for Empowering Young Minds and Women’ and expressed gratitude to the Rector of Batman University, the Women and Family Studies Research and Application Center, the Career Center, and all academicians who contributed significantly in the program. She further added:
“We undertook a series of actions concerning Koç Holding’s commitments in its global leadership in the UN Women Generation Equality Forum. We began the first stage of these actions with the ‘Entrepreneurship Program for Empowering Young Minds and Women’ in cooperation with Batman University. Our students worked very hard throughout the year. To successfully complete the program, they generated innovative projects on a range of subjects including combating climate change, mentoring university students, customized healthcare solutions, and disability assistance Furthermore, a group worked on preventing violence against women and designed an emergency bracelet. The courses gave our students the opportunity to design innovation and technology projects, and to improve themselves. They will incorporate this entrepreneurship experience in their careers to achieve their goals.”
Teber further added: “In addition to the intensive entrepreneurship course for the 40 students in the program, we organized university-wide seminars to reach hundreds of students. Our cooperation with Batman University will return as a guiding experience in the hosting provinces of our other refineries. Our goal is to support and encourage women to participate more in the innovation and technology ecosystem through collaborations with various universities.”
Tüpraş Innovation and Venture Capital Manager Funda Çetin commented: “We designed our program to prepare the students for the profound changes and transformations that have occurred in our era. Prioritizing hands-on experience and real-world application over theoretical learning and covered from generating ideas to designing the essentials of business models, and were complemented by online mentoring. Our colleagues in various business departments who also participated intrapreneurship programs contributed to this program. We prioritized the participation of female students in the context of equal opportunity in education. The program explored the realization process of a project and sharpened participants’ skills in teamwork and project presentation in line with a specific methodology. We were delighted to observe our participants’ entrepreneurial spirit, enthusiasm for learning, and success. I sincerely congratulate all participants and would like to thank our students, Batman University, and everyone else in the project team.”
Tüpraş to reach 100,000 female students through the Women in Technology and Innovation Program
Tüpraş designed the “Women in Technology and Innovation Program” to contribute to the realization of Koç Holding’s commitments in the context of global leadership at the UN Women Generation Equality Forum. The program seeks to uncover the potential of young girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and inspire them to pursue careers in technology and innovation.
The ‘Entrepreneurship Program for Empowering Young Minds and Women’ constitutes the first stage of the project. By 2027, Tüpraş commits to reaching out, through a range of educational courses, to 100,000 female students, of whom 90,000 are completing secondary education and of whom 10,000 are at university.