The Southern Career Fair (GÜNKAF), held in collaboration with 8 universities under the auspices of the Presidency, has started.
Salim Atay, the President of the Presidential Human Resources Office, pointed to the importance of competence in a field in terms of career opportunities, saying "Companies will make their recruitment decisions based not on what is on one’s diploma, but on the qualifications and competencies in fulfilling the job requirements. When this happens, the country as a whole will become one that competes in the international arena."
In the opening ceremony of GÜNKAF in Mimar Sinan Congress Center, hosted by Akdeniz University, the President of the Presidential Human Resources Office, Salim Atay, said that the organization had the largest company and student participation among the six career fairs they had hitherto organized.
Reporting that 87 universities were organized in 8 regions within the scope of the fair, Atay stated that they preferred the regions that were less likely to take full advantage of the opportunities rather than cities with a wide range of employment opportunities such as Istanbul and Ankara.
Stating that they encourage the relevant institutions in these regions, Atay pointed to the importance of personal skills and competence in employment.
Atay said, "The grounds for employment decisions should be your skills, not where you got your degree from. Companies will make their recruitment decisions based not on what is written on one’s diploma, but on the qualifications and competencies in fulfilling the job requirements. When this happens, the country as a whole will become one that competes in the international arena. Every corner of Turkey is convenient for getting a university education. The campuses have splendid facilities. The faculty are of high quality. What needs to be done is to take full advantage of these facilities and opportunities.”
"You will have career opportunities"
Emphasizing that the participants of the fair will see what opportunities are available in terms of business as well as the value of the training they receive, Atay said that the event will be held every year.
Atay said:
"When you come here, all of you are being recorded. These records form a part, the foundation, and the infrastructure of the Presidential Human Resources Office's 'Career Gate' service. When the system is activated with the records we receive here, we will notify you about every job announcement made in the public sector and about new recruitments. This will lead to equal opportunity and transparency all across Turkey. That is because you will know that if any public institution is recruiting new personnel, that information will reach the contact details you have provided. You will have access to career opportunities by applying to these positions.”
Antalya Governor Munir Karaloğlu said that Antalya is Turkey’s showcase and one of the important centers to carry Turkey to its targets.
Explaining that an event was being carried out where dreams can turn into opportunities, and opportunities into reality, Karaloğlu said, "You can use these opportunities not only to be an employee in an existing business, but also to become an entrepreneur to realize your dreams."
Rector of Akdeniz University Dr. Mustafa Ünal stated that raising generations that will shape the future is one of the primary responsibilities of higher education.
Ünal said that they have signed many protocols with the public and private sectors and tried to help students to do internship and career planning, and he also expressed their happiness to host the most comprehensive career fair of the Mediterranean.
Ünal stated, "We believe that we can contribute to the employment and career planning of young people thanks to this fair."
Within the scope of the fair, which will last two days and will be attended by approximately 250 companies and 15 thousand students, job and internship applications will be received and over 100 activities such as trainings, seminars and conferences will be organized for career planning.