BY IMAM GUNES
Exporters willing to strengthen relations in global markets build trade teams from foreign students studying in the country. Companies aim to provide job opportunities for the student, thus collaborate with them as an export bridge after they return to their countries.
Exporters intend to carry out new projects in order to develop their export activities, one of which is to build an export team from foreign students studying in Turkey. The export support provided by foreign students, who formerly studied in the country and became businesspeople and bureaucrats after they returned to their countries, has inspired the project. Based on this support, exporting companies have focused on creating sector-based links with foreign students.
Nearly 125,000 foreign students study in the country today. Giving them job opportunities, exporters plan to read them as trade ambassadors in their homelands. Project designs of the long-term collaborations have already been completed in some exporters’ associations, while aforementioned projects are conducted at company level in other exporters associations.
To make market-driven contribution
“We’ve developed many projects to further penetrate in target markets, one of which concentrates on foreign students,” said Tahsin Oztiryaki, President of Istanbul Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals Exporters Association (IDDMIB).
The IDDMIB initiated works to determine foreign students and companies to be matched with them. “Our goal is to increase the impact of collaboration by making this more systematic and practical,” said Oztiryaki, stressing that job interviews will begin soon. “Students will learn about the relevant sector and company as well as they will gain experience and improve their languages,” he added. The association receives demands from companies for countries and matching process will be completed this month. “This project will particularly be a response to human resource needed for the African and Central Asian markets,” Oztiryaki said.
Reference system should be set up
“Former Tanzanian Minister of National Defense studied in Turkey and the relations still continue. There are students studied in our country and became businesspeople and ministers in their homelands,” said Istanbul Leather and Leather Products Exporters’ Association (IDMIB) President Mustafa Senocak, stressing that this factor should be considered well, and a reference system should be built for this.
“There are also entrepreneurs, who don’t make a good impression abroad by using good relations. That’s why especially new entrepreneurs should expand abroad after they are consulted with relevant institutions in the country,” he added.
Benefits would be seen after 10 years
Istanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters Association (ITHIB) has carried out many projects for bringing students to the business world, which has also provided support for textile engineering, according to Ahmet Oksuz, Chairman of ITHIB. “The U.S. has evaluated this situation well for years. The west has made good use of it,” said Oksuz stressing that young foreign students should be considered as a good investment. “Perhaps, we won’t achieve its results at once, however, we would see its benefits 10 years later,” he added.
Ministers in their countries
There are numerous figures working at important positions after they received bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees in Turkey and returned to their homelands. For instance, Hussein Ali Mwinyi, Former Health and National Defense Minister, came to the country from Tanzania to study medicine. On one hand he advises students to study in Turkey, on the other hand he supports Turkish businesspeople at his home. Former Libyan Prime Minister Muhammad Ahmad al-Mangoush, deputy and five-term Minister Abdurrezzak Tabisat, Sudan’s first obstetrician and gynecologist Vehib Ibrahim, Head of Economy Diplomacy in Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo Guner Ureya and Director General of Mongolia National Broadcaster (MNB) Gandiinma Rentsendorj are among these figures.
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