Alarko Reaches 39 Universities in 29 Provinces with the “Young Teachers, the Future of the Republic” Project

The Alarko Group of Companies has been a long-standing supporter of education, with a core belief that investment in education is the key to economic and social development. As part of the "Young Teachers, the Future of the Republic" project, the Group has provided support to 100 female prospective teachers studying at 39 universities across 29 provinces in Turkey. This support includes scholarships and development programs. The personal and professional development program for prospective teachers, which covered topics such as the use of technology in education, leadership, communication, psychology, environmental literacy, and gender equality, was completed with a 99% satisfaction rate.

The "Young Teachers, the Future of the Republic" project was initiated on 24 November, Teachers' Day, under the guidance of Alarko Group of Companies, in collaboration with Katalist, Microfon, and Teachers Academy Foundation (ÖRAV). This initiative was undertaken as a tribute to the teaching profession, marking the 100th anniversary of the Republic. As part of this project, prospective teachers participated in a development program that included training in technical areas such as course design for online education, syllabus design, technology and learning computer literacy for online learning, transactional distance in online learning, motivation, readiness, and classroom management, taking into account individual differences and communication.

The project aims to enhance prospective teachers' digital skills for the second century of the Republic by providing an interactive and participatory learning environment where they can explore methods, tools, and techniques to reference when designing their courses, ultimately helping them become more effective role models for future generations.

The program's courses—“Interactive Course Design in Online Education,” “Communication as a Facilitator,” “Gender Equality,” “Psychological Resilience,” “Environmental Literacy,” and “Development Journey with Transactional Analysis Leadership”—have significantly contributed to teachers' professional and personal growth while enriching their life experiences. A total of 100 female prospective teachers participated in the 9-month program, which included 25 hours of capacity-building sessions across 6 different topics. Furthermore, scholarships were made available to assist in the advancement of future educators in both their personal and professional development.

A total of 2,210 students, who are prospective teachers of the future, submitted applications to the program.

Alarko's “Young Teachers, the Future of the Republic” program received applications from 2,210 final-year education students from across Turkey. Priority was given to young earthquake survivors and those without parents among the applicants, and approximately 1,700 individuals who met the criteria were evaluated. Following the evaluation, 100 female students in their final year at education faculties across 39 universities in 29 provinces were selected.

99% overall satisfaction rate with the training

An impact assessment was conducted to understand the outcome of the "Young Teachers, the Future of the Republic" project, which equips teachers with the knowledge and skills gained from lectures and webinars throughout the program to enhance their future classroom performance. The impact assessment, which achieved a 73% participation rate, yielded the following results:

• The satisfaction rate with training in terms of content and format was 99%.

• The most favored training courses and webinars included "Psychological Resilience," "Gender Equality," "Interactive Course Design in Online Education," and "Environmental Literacy."

• When asked "In your opinion, how the ‘Young Teachers, Future of the Republic’ Program will better prepare you to be the teacher of the future?" the expectations of the prospective teachers primarily focused on achieving a general professional development to better perform their profession, strengthening their competencies in communicating with children, recognizing new ideas and perspectives, making online and face-to-face courses more interactive and efficient, and sharing ideas and opinions with colleagues.

• The second most cited expectation was familiarizing themselves with new techniques and technological tools and learning how to use them. Prospective teachers with this expectation require more training in the use of digital and online tools, in conducting online training sessions successfully, and in learning and using new teaching techniques.

• According to the parameters outlined in the Impact Report, the following outcomes were achieved in the self-assessment of knowledge and competence.

• The percentage of participants who believed they were competent in "Interactive Course Design in Online Education" before the program was 57%, and this figure increased significantly to 80% by the conclusion of the program.
• While the rate of those who considered themselves competent in “Gender Equality” before the program was 57%, this rate increased to 85% at the end of the program.
• While the participants rated their knowledge and competence in “Environmental Literacy” at 41% before the program, it increased to 75% at the end of the program.
• Although 35% of the participants found themselves knowledgeable and competent about ‘psychological resilience’ before the program, this rate was 79% at the end of the program.