Cooperation with the Automotive Industry on the Path to Sustainable Development
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Turkish Automotive Maintenance Associations Federation (TOBFED), a federation of 13 member associations representing the automotive maintenance and after-sales services sector with 300 thousand small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and 1.5 million employees, signed a cooperation protocol with Istanbul Ticaret University, which stands out with its pioneering approach in education and research activities aimed at the sector.
The signing ceremony held at Istanbul Ticaret University was attended by Istanbul Ticaret University Acting Rector Prof. Dr. Ömer Torlak, TOBFED President Mr. Serkan Bakırtaş, Members of the TOBFED Board of Directors and Istanbul Ticaret University Social Sciences Institute Director Prof. Dr. Figen Yıldırım.
Istanbul Ticaret University Acting Rector Prof. Dr. Ömer Torlak stated that he believes that the cooperation between them as the university of the business world, and TOBFED, which has an important role in the automotive sector, will make great contributions to both the university and the federation, and wished the protocol to be beneficial.
“THEORY WILL BE LINKED TO PRACTICE”
Drawing attention to the importance of the cooperation between the universities and the business world, Prof. Dr. Ömer Torlak said that their cooperation with TOBFED will fill an important gap in terms of the needs of both the automotive sector and the related sectors. Prof. Dr. Torlak has further said:
“As Istanbul Ticaret University, we will ensure that this gap is closed with the competencies and abilities we have, but at the same time, we will take this one step further and link theory to practice in a much more concrete way in line with the suggestions and proposals of TOBFED.”
Prof. Dr. Torlak emphasized that everything changes very quickly and the automotive industry has also taken its share from this change, and said that perhaps even the name ‘automobile’ may change in the future, and the concepts of smart devices and smart vehicles will come to the fore. Prof. Dr. Torlak concluded his words by saying, “As a university, we will strive to develop our own skills and competencies in cooperation with TOBFED in this time of change.”
SUPPORT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Expressing their satisfaction with fulfilling one more commitment they made to the sector within the scope of the TOBFED Sustainable Future Report and Action Plan published in October 2022, TOBFED President Mr. Serkan Bakırtaş said: “Based on the strength we will draw from the cooperation between the private sector and the academia, we will develop research and development (R&D) and value-added projects that serve sustainable development”. Within the scope of the protocol, joint studies will be carried out aimed at the “Green Flag”, which will be a standard that will certify businesses in the automotive maintenance and after-sales services sector within the scope of environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles and digital transformation.
CONTRIBUTION TO THE EMPLOYMENT OF THE YOUTH
Furthermore, the comprehensive internship program to be implemented in cooperation with Istanbul Ticaret University and TOBFED will contribute to meeting the demand for qualified people in the sector and support the employment of the youth.
At the signing ceremony, it was also stated that the “National Youth Employment Strategy and Action Plan”, implemented under the coordination of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security of Republic of Türkiye, would be supported, and it was pointed out that the TOBFED Academy and Career platforms would be given depth and diversity.
In this regard, joint training programs will be planned to support the transition to renewable energy and circular economy, as well as on topics such as financial literacy, marketing and digital transformation.
