The Second Phase of the TMK Project Has Begun

Minister of Family and Social Services Derya Yanık announced the launch of the second phase of the "Turkey's Engineer Girls" (TMK) project, which aims to increase women's participation in engineering fields, stating: "As in the first phase, we aim to support girl students who want to become engineers in all areas and make them role models in their professions."

The "Turkey's Engineer Girls" project, launched under the leadership of the Ministry of Family and Social Services in cooperation with the Ministry of National Education, the United Nations Development Programme Turkey Office (UNDP) and Limak Foundation, was completed on 31 December 2021.

According to the impact report of the project, which was conducted to support the education of girl students receiving or about to receive engineering education, girl students' interest in engineering increased, and following the positive results obtained by the Ministry and project stakeholders, the second phase of the "Turkey's Engineer Girls" project began in January.

Girl students in chemical engineering included in the program

The project consists of two separate programs for girl students studying in high school and university. In the first phase, students from civil, environmental, industrial, mechanical, electrical/electronics and computer engineering departments of state universities benefited from the program, while in the second phase, girl students in chemical engineering were also included in the program.

In the high school program, in the first phase, various awareness-raising activities were carried out targeting the most successful students in Science and Anatolian High Schools studying in grades 10 and 11, as well as teachers, school administrators and parents. In the second phase, activities that were carried out face-to-face in the first phase will continue online.

"We aim for more women engineers to participate in working life"

Minister of Family and Social Services Derya Yanık stated that they prioritize projects and activities that will reveal the potential of women and girls and enable them to realize their dreams, saying: "We have approached girl children's education with great sensitivity and have led our efforts. As a ministry, we particularly aim to transform the 'Turkey's Engineer Girls' project, which we launched to support girls' participation in the engineering profession, into a sustainable platform."

Noting that engineering is one of the professional fields with the lowest female participation, Minister Yanık said: "In the second phase, as in the first, we aim to increase girl students' awareness and ensure more women engineers participate in working life, support girl students who want to become engineers in all areas, and make them role models in their professions."