Developed in partnership with the International Training, Research and Application Center for Executives and Leaders (CIFAL Istanbul) — affiliated with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) — and Bahçeşehir University, the program will see high school students take part in a comprehensive learning process spanning artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
Running for eight weeks in a hybrid format, the program will give students the opportunity to closely engage with the technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem through training sessions, hands-on workshops, mentoring meetings, teamwork, and meetings organized with industry professionals. Throughout the program, students will also be supported by peer mentors, ensuring young people are introduced early on to a culture of teamwork, shared experience, and collaborative creation.
Students who successfully complete the program will be entitled to receive a certificate approved by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. Students will also benefit from advanced learning opportunities, digital internship possibilities, and experiences that allow them to make direct contact with the entrepreneurship ecosystem.
“We support young people staying one step ahead with technology”
Yapı Kredi Deputy CEO Yakup Doğan noted that in the age of artificial intelligence, it is important for young people to grow not merely as users of technology, but as individuals who understand it, develop it, and are able to harness it to generate social benefit.
Stating that the program was designed to support young people in becoming competent individuals in the field of technology, Doğan pointed out that the transformation taking place in AI, entrepreneurship, and innovation is reshaping every area of life — from the business world to education, and from the finance sector to daily life.
Emphasizing that they view preparing young people for the world of the future as a strategic investment in the country’s future, Doğan stated:
“We believe that the knowledge and experience our students will gain through this program will make a significant difference in both their academic and professional lives. We are also aware of how valuable the strong collaboration between the International Training, Research and Application Center for Executives and Leaders, affiliated with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, and Bahçeşehir University is for our young people. We aim for this journey, which begins with a pilot phase, to reach wider audiences in the coming years and for many more young people to engage with the technologies that are shaping the future.”
