İlker Astarcı, President of the Turkish National Agency, met with students as part of the “Career Talks” program organized by the Career Center at Konya Technical University. The event, held at the Halil Cin Conference Hall in the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences at Konya Technical University, was attended by a large number of students as well as academic and administrative staff. Prof. Dr. Osman Nuri Çelik, Rector of Konya Technical University, also participated in the program.
During the talk, İlker Astarcı shared his experiences regarding his career journey and highlighted the steps students should take to assume more active roles on national and international platforms. Providing comprehensive information about Erasmus+, the European Solidarity Corps, and the opportunities offered to young people by the Turkish National Agency, Astarcı encouraged young people to develop projects and gain international experience through them.
Astarcı emphasized that the Erasmus program is not merely an opportunity for studying abroad, but also offers significant benefits in terms of personal, academic, and cultural development. He encouraged young people to apply for exchange programs by obtaining information from their universities’ Erasmus offices, and noted that they could also apply to the Turkish National Agency by developing projects through groups of friends or student clubs.
In his speech, Astarcı also touched on topics such as artificial intelligence, digitalization, and internationalization, highlighting Turkey’s strong human resources, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence.
Addressing the students, Astarcı said, “Determine exactly what you want to do, but more importantly, know why you are doing it. Set a goal and an ideal for yourselves. Be sincere, be genuine, and never lose your sense of humility. As the youth of this country, you possess immense potential. You are the generations who will shape the future of Turkey and the world.”
Prof. Dr. Osman Nuri Çelik, Rector of Konya Technical University, noted that the Turkish National Agency serves as an important bridge in helping young people engage with the world, stating, “In line with our vision of internationalization, we will continue to contribute to our students’ academic and personal development on a global level. “A university degree alone is no longer sufficient. Knowing a foreign language, gaining experience abroad, and communicating with different cultures are of great importance,” he said.
Speaking at the event, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muharrem Hilmi Aksoy, Erasmus+ Institutional Coordinator at Konya Technical University, stated in his presentation titled “The Role of the Erasmus Program in Career Planning”: “We have carried out more than 100 mobility activities over the past three years. As of 2023, our students participated for the first time in short-term, grant-funded programs under the Blended Intensive Program (BIP). Additionally, we have signed a total of 104 department-level bilateral agreements with 50 universities from 17 European countries, as well as general protocols with 23 institutions from 15 different countries. This year, we received 148 applications for study mobility and 36 for internship mobility,” he said.
Dr. Resul Çelik, Assistant Professor and Director of the Career Center at Konya Technical University, said in his speech at the event, “We are delighted to host a guest who will inspire our young people’s career planning at this event, which we are holding for the first time this year. I hope this gathering will mark the beginning of new collaborations and visionary perspectives at our university. I would like to thank Mr. Astarcı, who honored us with his presence, and all our guests,” he said.
As the event continued with questions from students, Astarcı’s sincere and inspiring remarks drew great interest. At the end of the program, Prof. Dr. Osman Nuri Çelik, Rector of Konya Technical University, presented a plaque to İlker Astarcı, President of the Turkish National Agency. The program concluded with a group photo to commemorate the day.
