‘Creative industry’ trainings for women

The ‘Mira’ project, launched in Izmir with the aim of increasing the employment opportunities of women in disadvantaged regions, after reaching 60 people in our country, also gave hope to women from England, Portugal and Romania. 13 women from 3 countries received training in the field of creative industries for a week within the scope of the project, which was implemented under the coordination of the Izmir Governorate and with the support of Izmir University of Economics (IUE) and the Aegean Business Women's Association (EGIKAD). The women, who received their certificates by going through a comprehensive training process in the fields of entrepreneurship, internationalization, art and design, media and marketing hosted by IUE, developed themselves in different fields.

Work on the project titled, ‘Mira-Creative Women in the Labor Market’, carried out in partnership with 6 different institutions from Turkey, England, Portugal and Romania, started in August 2021.

RECEIVED 136 THOUSAND EUROS

The exemplary project, among the projects submitted to the Turkish National Agency within the scope of the European Commission's ‘Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships for Creativity-Innovation Activity’, was entitled to receive a budget of 136 thousand euros (2.7 million liras). Within the scope of the project, a road map was determined regarding what needs to be done for women in disadvantaged groups to enter the labor market. After long preparations, training contents were prepared with the support of IUE Faculty of Communication and all stakeholders.

PILOT TRAINING FOR 60 WOMEN

Initially 60 women completed their pilot training in Izmir in order to increase the entrepreneurial aspects of women and to develop their competencies in the design and digital fields. Finally, 13 women, selected by the partners of the project in England, Portugal and Romania, came to Izmir and attended the trainings at IUE. The women, who studied on the campus for a week just like students, had the opportunity to visit the city in their spare time and see many historical spots, especially Ephesus.

WE WILL REACH HUNDREDS OF WOMEN

Speaking at the certificate ceremony regarding the ‘Mira-Creative Women in the Labor Market’ project, Hulusi Doğan, Vice Governor of Izmir, stated that the project was very important in terms of more intense participation of women in the workforce. Doğan said, “While implementing this project, under the leadership of the Governor, our biggest goal was to help women develop themselves in different ways. And we succeeded in this. The women had the opportunity to receive training in many important fields such as entrepreneurship, internationalization, art and design, media and marketing. We have completed our preparations and trials. We will now begin training in groups, in a serial manner. We aim to raise awareness by reaching hundreds of women in a short time.”

THEY WILL BE IN AN ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION

Speaking on behalf of the Faculty of Communication, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selin Türkel, Head of IUE Department of Public Relations and Advertising, stated that women benefiting from the project will be in an advantageous position in terms of participation in employment. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Türkel said, “As the faculty, we provided significant support in designing and systematically maintaining trainings for women. Our meticulous work has achieved its purpose. Last week, we hosted a total of 18 women, 13 from foreign countries and 5 from Izmir, on our campus. It was a very enjoyable and exciting program. It was a good experience for us too. As a university that produces projects for social benefit and creates the concept of Campus Izmir, which is the first model of university-city integration in our country, we are happy to be involved in such a valuable project.”

WE ACHIEVED EXAMPLARY UNITY

Stating that they always consider taking part in projects that support women as their main priority, Şahika Aşkıner, Chair of the EGIKAD Board, said, “It is also very important for social development that women participate more in business life. We are ready to do whatever we have to do in this regard, as we have done so far. We have created a very good harmony and unity of power in Izmir. We have developed a model that can set an example for Turkey. By maintaining this synergy, we want to reach more women and touch their lives. The more women we reach, the better. We are aware that we are part of a very important project. We will resolutely continue our work on this issue.”