Initiative to train women tackles labor shortage in Antalya

SALİM UZUN - ANTALYA

A project has been launched in the Mediterranean province of Antalya to address the staffing gap in industrial workers by training women to work in various positions, leveraging the untapped potential of homemakers seeking opportunities outside the home.

As part of the "Women's Hand in Industry" project, housewives started working as welders, packers, assemblers, painters and press operators in factories after receiving training.

"It is a great pride that the industry is touched by women. Our women have proven that they can do physically demanding jobs very easily," said Ali Bahar, the president of Antalya Organized Industrial Zone (AOSB).

Highlighting that women adapt very quickly to high-level training and are very willing to work, Bahar said that the number of female employees in the industrial zone has reached 6,000, making up 33 percent of total employees.

A technical college operating within the AOSB currently trains around 90 women, among them are students who will work in heavy industry, according to Canan Keskin Gürkan, a member of the Enterprising Committee of AOSB.

"We want this project to raise awareness and set an example for all of Türkiye. We will continue to increase the number of women working in industry. This movement will also solve the problem of trained personnel for industrialists," Gürkan said.

Hüseyin Erdem, the chairman of the board of directors of PORTİSAN, which produces construction scaffolding and formwork, stated that the employment of women solved the issue of a qualified labor force.

"Unfortunately, we were having difficulty finding people to work. We invited women from the surrounding villages who wanted to work at our factory. They first started working in the packaging department. Now they work in every unit, including the heavy-duty sector," Erdem said.

Discipline, courtesy, respect and productivity increase day by day in every environment where there are female employees, he says.

"Frankly, they are much more diligent than men. Our primary preference in recruiting new personnel has started to be women."

Women workers also shared their experiences about the job.

Gülten Aslantaş, a painter stated that she has been working in the paint shop for two years and that she loves her job and plans to work until she retires.

"At first, I had reservations because of the reactions I received. In my opinion, everything that is touched by a woman's hand becomes beautiful," said Leyla Özgü Doğruparmak, who works as a foreman.

Belkıs Korkmaz, who had no prior work experience, said that she now works as a welder and did not experience any difficulties adapting to the job.