Özyeğin University will give entrepreneurship training for 350 women for three years. The training will be free of charge. Applications to the program will be received until the end of January 2010.

Within the scope of global financial services company Goldman Sachs' "10,000 Women Entrepreneurs Certificate Program", Özyeğin University will give entrepreneurship training for 350 women for 3 years. Women entrepreneurs to participate in the program which will provide a total of 150 hours training within a year will be chosen according to international criteria developed for the program and they will benefit from the program free of charge. The training syllabus comprise business plan development, basic entrepreneurship skills, accounting and finance, access to financial resources, sales and marketing, production planning, organizational planning. Applications to the program will be received from November 2009 through end of January 2010.

Prof. Erhan Erkut, president of Özyeğin University expressed that only 6 percent of entrepreneurs in Turkey are women and this rate should reach 18-20 percent. Prof. Dr. Erkut asserted that according to Goldman Sachs' report, Chinese economy will be world's most important economy in 2050 and he added: "China attended the relay race with 5 people, we have only two. According to Goldman Sachs report, Turkey's economy will overhaul Japan and German economies. However, 6 percent is a very low rate for women entrepreneurs." Erkut emphasized that according to a research covering 48 countries, Turkey is on the top of the list in terms of courage in entrepreneurship but at the bottom when it comes to making use of an opportunity and he said: "At this point, universities and education steps in. Teaching how to locate opportunities is easier."

Poverty Rate will Decrease

The World Bank Gender Coordinator Mediha Ağar expressed that in Turkey, several women wants to work but they are challenged by many obstacles and she asserted: "If labor force participation rate for women defined in Government's 9th Development Plan is achieved, poverty rate will decrease by 15 percent." Comparing Turkey's 6 percent entrepreneurship rate to Europe's 40 percent and the United States' 50 percent, Gülseren Onanç, President and Chairperson of KAGİDER, the Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey emphasized that "entrepreneurship" by definition is the main dynamic of economy both for men and women. Onanç said: "Entrepreneurship is a sine qua non for economy and thereby for the economic sustainability. When they start to think like an entrepreneur, women start to ask 'why' and 'why not'. An empowered woman enriches the society. There are 30 civil society organizations founded by women to in the east of Ankara. Awakening of women is very important for us. For the last six years, we have been supporting women who want to be entrepreneurs through different programs."

Source: Referans Gazetesi, November 18, 2009