Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Academic Advisors Training Program has started at the TOBB Union Center. Following the presentation detailing the mission, aim, structure and activities of TOBB, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that academicians take on a very important role and stressed the importance of bridging the gap between university and industry. Urging for academicians to guide chamber and exchange presidents in their region, to help in identifying problems and suggesting solutions and to grapple with the employment issue together, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Turkey’s prosperity is depending on this community. We’ve all seen that prosperity cannot be attained by the hand of the government. The more our entrepreneurs come to the fore, the more our society will prosper. One of the most important issues for Turkey is employment. We need to find 1 million new jobs each year. The solution for this lies with the private sector.”

Pointing out Japan and Germany post-WWII, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that the success of these two countries’ entrepenrurs had made them the second and third largest economies in the world. Providing information in regards to the activities of TOBB, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We conduct the orchestra. There are all kinds of instruments within the orchestra. The conductor’s duty is to make sure that they all play in unison.” Stating that peace is of paramount importance for trade, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that traders can bring peace to the world.