A total of ₺6.4 million will be granted to seven projects to be implemented in 20 provinces including the earthquake region

As part of the “Young Women Building Their Future” initiative, implemented by the Sabancı Foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Family and Social Services and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), seven projects from all around Türkiye aiming to improve the professional skills of young women will receive grant support. A total of ₺6.4 million (US$226,000) will be granted to these initiatives that will increase young women’s employment in 20 provinces, including the earthquake-affected region.

The grant programme aims to empower young women aged 18-29 who are not in employment, education or training (NEET), and ensure their active participation in social and economic life.

The “Young Women Building Their Future” project has been implemented since February 2022 to address the challenges faced by the estimated 3.5 million NEET young women aged 18-29 in Türkiye and raise public awareness on the issue.

A digital platform called “Opportunities Map”, which enables young women to access the nearest job, internship and training opportunities, was established within the project with the contributions of public, private sector and non-governmental organizations.

In the pilot provinces of Adana, Diyarbakır and Izmir, young women were provided with personal development, empowerment and vocational skills training on a wide range of topics, and they were equipped to get a job. The mentorship programme created an environment where NEET women could meet with 500 mentors who have advanced in their careers. Now, the grant programme will ensure that the impact of the project expands to a wider area.

Here are the initiatives that will receive grant support, whose most important and common feature is having an employment target at the end:

• The NEET Women in Industry project of the Başkent Industrialists Association aims to provide training to NEET women in Ankara on industrial automation, CNC and welding technologies and ensure their employment in the manufacturing industry. Companies will also receive training on equal opportunities to popularize the principle of equality in the Organized Industrial Zone and improve workplaces for women's employment.

• Diyarbakır Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Enhancing the Resilience of NEET Women in the Labour Market project aims to empower NEET women through training in line with their workforce needs to facilitate their participation in employment and collaborate with companies that will ensure employment of young women.

• With the Producing Women of the Sea project of Izmir Commodity Exchange Education Culture and Social Integration Foundation (BORSAV), it is aimed to employ NEET women living in Izmir in businesses that process and sell aquatic products and in fishing net production centres through vocational training.

• Kodluyoruz Association's Women Empowered with Software project aims to empower NEET women through software and social skills training and employ them in the IT and technology sectors through collaborations. The initiative will be carried out in partnership with Seyhan Municipality in Adana and young women who will participate in the project will also develop technological solutions for the city's problems.

• Osmaniye Municipality's Greening Hopes of Women Affected by Disasters project aims to ensure the participation of NEET women affected by the February earthquakes in employment through vocational training at the Gastronomy Center to be established in Osmaniye. The project will be implemented in cooperation with Osmaniye Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services, İŞKUR, Directorate of Probation, Public Education Centre, and Organized Industrial Zone.

• SistersLab Women in Science and Technology Association's Empowerment of Women Software Developers through Mentorship and Training initiative aims to increase the competencies of NEET women who graduated from engineering departments, by providing them with technical and supportive training and academies in the fields of DevOps, Cyber Security, Game Development and UI/UX Design and thus to ensure participation in labour force.

• Innovative Human Resources Association's NEET Women in Human Resources project aims to support NEET women living in Adana through innovative training and mentorship programmes, develop job opportunities and thus employ them in the field of human resources.