The launch meeting of the Sectoral Vocational Education and Training Competence and Development Center Project in the Field of New Generation Vehicle Technologies (Electric, Hybrid, Autonomous) implemented under the leadership of Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry was held. The center, which will be realized with an investment of 12 million TL in BUTGEM, which continues its activities within the body of BTSO Education Foundation, will provide the training of qualified human resources needed in the field of new generation vehicle technologies in Bursa, the locomotive of the automotive industry.
BTSO has added a new one to its high technology and qualified employment focused projects. Aiming to prepare Bursa for the structural transformation in the global automotive industry led by electric, hybrid and autonomous driving technologies, BTSO is launching the Sectoral Vocational Education and Training Competence and Development Center in the Field of New Generation Vehicle Technologies (Electric, Hybrid, Autonomous) at BUTGEM.
The launch meeting of the project, which was implemented with the grant support of the European Union Human Resources Development Program carried out by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, was held at the BTSO Service Building. Speaking at the opening of the meeting, BTSO Board Member Muhsin Koçaslan said that as BTSO, they have undertaken important works that will give companies a competitive advantage in the automotive industry. Stating that they have carried out supportive projects in areas such as R&D, qualified workforce employment and digitalization, Koçaslan said, “With the industrial transformation move, we brought advanced technology-oriented projects such as TEKNOSAB, BUTEKOM, Model Factory and MESYEB to our Bursa. Our Advanced Composite Materials Research and Excellence Center and ULUTEK Technopark, which we have put into operation under the umbrella of BUTEKOM, also play an important role in the transformation in the automotive industry.” said.
“The First Application in This Field in Turkey”
Expressing that one of the most important elements that will ensure the technological transformation of the automotive industry will be human resources, Koçaslan said, “We need to create a high-quality education setup that is compatible with new technologies in order to train the workforce that will be needed in the industry. BUTGEM, which continues its activities within the body of BTSO Education Foundation, is among the most important projects that meet the qualified employment needs of our sector. At BUTGEM, we are implementing the 'Next Generation Vehicle Technologies Sectoral Vocational Education and Training Competence and Development Center' project. The Center is the first application in this field in Turkey. With our project, we aim to strengthen the vocational training infrastructure in the field of new generation vehicle technologies in Bursa, which is the locomotive of the automotive industry, and to train qualified personnel for the automotive main and sub-industry. In addition, we aim to support the transformation in the sector with training programs for trainers. As BTSO, we will continue to contribute to our automotive industry at the highest level with all our investments and resources.” he said.
“Uludağ University Takes a Leading Role in New Generation Vehicle Technologies”
Bursa Uludag University Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Saim Guide, said that electric and hybrid vehicles constitute one of the priority areas of interest of the Turkish automotive industry. Emphasizing that the project initiated for new generation vehicle technologies is very important, Guide explained the work they have done in this field as a university. The guide said, “As soon as it was announced that Togg will be produced in Gemlik, we decided to open a Hybrid and Electric Vehicles Technology program at Gemlik Asım Kocabıyık Vocational School. We got approval from YÖK very quickly, we formed our academic staff and gave our first graduates last June. Many of our students who prefer this department are qualified students who can choose 4-year engineering faculties. We also formed the Automotive Working Group at our university three years ago. We established the Hybrid and Electric Vehicles Department. We opened a graduate program in this field. There were 15 times more applications for 4 quotas in the program. Now we want to open a doctorate program as well. As Bursa Uludağ University, we will thus have trained the qualified personnel that Turkey needs, from Vocational School to doctorate level.” said.
“We Are Ready to Support BTSO's Projects Focused on Investment in People”
Mudanya University Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Tosun emphasized that as a young university, the most basic principle is to contribute to university-industry cooperation. Noting that they will support all kinds of work to be done in this framework, Tosun said, “Our university was founded last year. One of our 3 faculties is the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Design. We would like to add electrical electronics, computer engineering and software fields to the industrial engineering field in our faculty next year. Thus, we aim to contribute more to the sector in Bursa. We also appreciate the works of BTSO focused on human investment. The center of excellence to be established will be beneficial in meeting the changing workforce needs in the automotive industry in the most accurate way. We are ready to support these efforts with all our means.” he said.
“4 New Workshops Will Be Established in BUTGEM”
Bursa Uludağ University Technical Sciences Vocational School Director and Project Coordinator Prof. Dr. Mehmet Karahan stated that electric and hybrid vehicles are a very different field from fossil fuel vehicles, and said that the transformation in the sector has led to the emergence of new business areas. Noting that they aim to meet the qualified employment needs of the automotive industry in these areas with the Center to be established within BUTGEM, Karahan said, “We benefited from European Union funds in the project. We formed our project team with the contributions of Bursa Uludağ University and OİB Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School. We spend more than half of our 12 million TL budget on infrastructure. At BUTGEM, we are establishing 4 new workshops under the headings of electric, hybrid, automotive electronics and autonomous vehicles. When our center is completed, we will first start with in-service training. We made a protocol with the Ministry of National Education on this issue. Our 400 vocational and technical Anatolian high school teachers from different provinces of Turkey will receive training at the Center.” said.
“The Project Will Be Completed in 2023”
Noting that the project will be completed in 2023, Karahan continued his speech as follows: “Our project includes the training and certification processes of blue-collar personnel who will work in the automotive main and sub-industry, service networks of new generation vehicles, and charging stations. BTSO MESYEB has a study on professional qualification and certification. Before the project, we conducted a comprehensive needs analysis. Since it is a new field, field studies were conducted to determine the training content and methodology and to provide the necessary infrastructure at BUTGEM. As a result, a pioneering education and infrastructure content was created. We thank all our stakeholders for their support.”
After the opening speeches, a workshop was held under the coordination of Bursa Uludağ University with the participation of project stakeholders, sector representatives and academicians.
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