“WE SEE OUR YOUTH AS THE MAIN ACTORS OF PRODUCTION”
Ankara Chamber of Industry (ASO) President Seyit Ardıç met with university students during the Career Days event held at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University’s Esenboğa Campus. President Ardıç stated:
“In today’s world, what makes countries strong is not merely capital or production capacity. It is qualified human resources capable of producing knowledge, developing technology, and transforming it into value. And that human resource is you. We do not see our youth merely as job seekers, but as the main actors of production.”
ASO President Seyit Ardıç attended the “Career Days” program organized by the Career Planning, Management, Application and Research Center at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University and met with students. The event held at the university’s Esenboğa Campus was attended by Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Rector Prof. Dr. Ali Cengiz Köseoğlu, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Tutar, Career Center Director Dr. Lecturer İsmail Çağrı Doğan, and many students.
“QUALIFIED HUMAN RESOURCES ARE WHAT MAKE COUNTRIES STRONG”
ASO President Seyit Ardıç stated that the event was not only a career gathering, but also a strategic platform where the country’s production capacity and future vision were evaluated.
“Today, a career is no longer merely an individual future plan. A career is one of the fundamental pillars of a country’s development, competitiveness, and social prosperity. Because what makes countries strong in today’s world is not only capital or production capacity, but qualified human resources that produce knowledge, develop technology, and transform it into value. And that human resource is you,” he said.
“PRODUCTION HAS GONE FAR BEYOND FACTORY WALLS”
Stating that the world is changing very rapidly and that the understanding of production is also evolving, President Ardıç said:
“In the new world order, the real factor determining the strength of countries will be their capacity to produce technology, qualified human resources, innovation capability, and adaptability to change.
Today, competition is no longer won merely through low-cost production. Production has gone far beyond factory walls. Today, production means artificial intelligence, software, robotics technologies, data, green manufacturing, energy efficiency, design, branding, and high added value.
More importantly, production is now measured not only by what you produce, but by how you produce it, with which technology you produce it, and with which human resources you produce it.”
“WHAT WE NEED IS TO TRANSFORM KNOWLEDGE INTO HIGH ADDED VALUE”
President Ardıç stated that while the fundamental question of industry in the past was “How much do we produce?”, today this question has changed:
“How qualified is our production? How technological is our production? How sustainable is our production? How competitive are we globally?
The answers to these questions lie directly within you, our youth, our universities, our research centers, and our industrial enterprises.
At this point, the role of university–industry cooperation is critically important. Universities are where knowledge is produced. Industry is where that knowledge is transformed into products, technology, exports, and employment.
If universities and industry remain distant from each other, knowledge stays on the shelves, while industry struggles to find the qualified human resources it needs.
What we truly need is the transformation of knowledge into production, production into technology, and technology into high added value.”
“WE MUST DEFINITELY ADD SKILLS BESIDE OUR DIPLOMAS”
President Ardıç emphasized that university education and diplomas are extremely valuable, but not sufficient on their own:
“Today, the business world no longer asks only, ‘Which department did you graduate from?’
It asks:
Which problems can you solve?
Which technologies do you master?
Which skills can you transform into production?
What kind of value can you create?
We must definitely place skills beside our diplomas. We must add foreign language proficiency, digital competencies, analytical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, communication skills, and production discipline.
Let us never forget: a diploma is not an end result. It is a beginning.”
“WE SEE OUR YOUTH AS THE MAIN ACTORS OF PRODUCTION”
President Ardıç stated that as the Ankara Chamber of Industry, they view young people not merely as job seekers, but as the main actors of production, technology, entrepreneurship, and transformation.
“For this reason, strengthening internship opportunities, increasing vocational experience, expanding university–industry cooperation, enabling young people to establish direct contact with our companies, and reflecting the skills needed by industry more effectively within educational processes are of great importance,” he said.
“WHEN AN IDEA COMBINES WITH COURAGE, IT BECOMES ENTREPRENEURSHIP”
Emphasizing that entrepreneurship and the start-up ecosystem are among the most critical issues of the new era, President Ardıç continued:
“Because major transformations no longer emerge only from large factories. Sometimes a small idea, with the right support, can evolve into a major technology company.
Sometimes software developed by a student can increase the efficiency of an industrial enterprise.
Sometimes a single initiative can change the way an entire sector operates.
For this reason, our youth should see their ideas not merely as projects, but as values that can transform into products, services, brands, exports, and employment.
When an idea combines with courage, it becomes entrepreneurship.
When entrepreneurship combines with effort, it becomes production.
When production combines with technology, it becomes development.”
“INVEST IN YOURSELVES, DO NOT LOSE HOPE”
At the end of his speech, President Ardıç offered advice to students:
“What will set you apart in life is not only what you know, but also how you think, how you behave, and how determined you are.
Invest in yourselves — but do not see this merely as a financial matter. Invest in your knowledge, your skills, your ability to understand technology, your communication abilities, and your character.
Because in business life there are many intelligent people, and many hardworking people, but trustworthy people are rare. The most valuable capital is trust.
The answer people give to the question, ‘Is this person true to their word?’ is your real value.
Business life is not a journey carried out alone. Coming together with the right people and establishing the right partnerships will help you grow.
If you are afraid of making mistakes, you cannot move forward.
Follow the world closely. Observe where technology is heading, how production is changing, and how business models are transforming. You must keep track of these developments closely.
Because competition today is no longer only with the person next to you, but with your peers across different geographies of the world.
Above all else, the most important thing is this: never lose hope. Sometimes you will struggle, sometimes you will grow tired, and sometimes you will not receive immediate results. But if you continue your journey with patience, determination, and belief, you will certainly achieve success.”
At the end of the program, President Ardıç and Rector Prof. Dr. Köseoğlu also visited the stands and received information about the students’ projects.
