"I didn't believe I was selected for the project until the moment they sent me my ticket to Balıkesir," says İbrahim Emirhan Işık, a graduate of Istanbul Kültür University Alternative Energy Resources Technology Department.

Time went by quickly in Balıkesir, and now he cannot believe he has completed the project. Emirhan, together with many young people who are full of excitement like him, has already taken the first step towards a green career by receiving his certificate after the training under the European Union (EU) supported Re-You Project.

The RE-You Project aims to help make the South Marmara Region, which has great potential in renewable energy resources, one of the world’s leading education and career centres in this field. Within the scope of the project implemented for the first time in Türkiye, 198 of the 408 engineers and technicians aged between 18-29 specialised in the fields of wind, solar and biogas for four months at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University and 210 at Balıkesir University. In addition to vocational training, young people also received career guidance and English language training.

210 engineers and technicians received renewable energy training at Balıkesir University

“I am happy and hopeful"

“I graduated from a two-year programme, and 1.5 years of those were during the pandemic. I received distance education and did not see anything technically one-to-one, but the facility visits and my professors here have helped me greatly to grow as a professional," says Emirhan, who has received training on biogas. Firdevs Hazal Daştan, a Sivas Cumhuriyet University Environmental Engineering graduate, has also received the same training with the Re-You Project. Hazal agrees with Emirhan about the importance of technical visits: "I had not had the opportunity to visit biogas plants before. We visited the plants, it meant a lot to me. Thanks to this project, I believe I can get a better job. I am happy and hopeful."

Muhammet Ali Özkılıç

“It was an excellent step for my career”

Muhammet Ali Özkılıç, a graduate of Eskişehir Osmangazi Civil Engineering, has received wind energy training. “I was looking for a job and couldn't find one. I heard about this project from a friend. I applied, but I had no hope. I was very happy to be selected. We learned a lot about wind turbines here. I had never participated in a European Union project before. It was very dynamic, enjoyable and exciting. It was a developing experience for me."

Tayyibe Erişti, a graduate of Erciyes University, Department of Civil Engineering, has received training in the field of wind energy. "The destructiveness of construction process led me to work for a more sustainable world. I had taken wind energy courses in my master's degree, and when I came across the Re-You project on social media, I applied. It was a great opportunity to blend theoretical and practical knowledge. It was an excellent step for my career," she reflects.

“I needed a certificate to prove my knowledge”

A graduate of Nuclear Energy Engineering from Sinop University Çağlar Gündoğdu, who has received training in the field of solar energy, saw the Re-You Project while looking for information about EU projects. Since he is a nuclear energy engineer, he says that it was considered "absurd" initially by those around him that he wanted to progress in the solar energy field. However, he persisted: “I knew about renewable energy, but I needed a certificate to prove my knowledge. That's why I applied for this training. Experts from various European countries gave us training here. Conferences and field visits were organised. I enjoyed the field visits very much.”

İbrahim Emirhan Işık, Firdevs Hazal Daştan, Meltem Demirci Köknar, Tayyibe Erişti, Çağlar Gündoğdu and Ahsen Pekdoğan

A graduate of Kırıkkale University, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Ahsen Pekdoğan, who has also received training in the field of solar energy, said, "We met many engineers from all over Türkiye, and this is a very good network for me."

Zeynep Nur Aydoğan graduated from Hitit University as a Nuclear Energy and Radiation Safety Technician. She has received training in biogas in the Re-You Project. "I think we are trained most efficiently in both theoretical and practical areas," she says. Zeynep wants to work as a production technician in this field.

Zeynep Nur Aydoğan

70 students have already found a job

Meltem Demirci Köknar, who has worked as both team leader and Job Researching Mentor in the Re-You Project, makes the following assessment: “It's an incredible feeling; I want to share that first. I believe that our Re-You trainees will make their mark in this sector. As of 6 October, nearly 70 students from the Çanakkale team from the Çanakkale team have already found a job. I am sure that the Balıkesir team will show the same performance. We had the opportunity to train great minds for the renewable energy sector in Türkiye and the world. For me, this was the most important part of the project.”

Implemented within the scope of IPA

The Re-You Project, officially named "Renewable Youth Energy Operation", has been financially supported by the Human Resources Development Sectoral Operational Programme implemented by the Türkiye Republic Ministry of Labour and Social Security, within the scope of the EU Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). The project has been carried out by the South Marmara Development Agency and has been implemented with the cooperation of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University and Balıkesir University.

IPA is the means by which the EU has been supporting reforms in the enlargement region with financial and technical assistance since 2007. IPA funds build up the capacities of the beneficiaries throughout the accession process, resulting in progressive, positive developments in the enlargement region to which Türkiye belongs.

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