Cargill Continues Investing in Young People

Cargill Continues to Invest in Young People Working with the goal of adding value to communities for a sustainable future, Cargill continues to invest in young people. The "Women Leaders of Tomorrow" programme, launched by Cargill in collaboration with Turkish Education Foundation (TEV) in 2021, has equipped over 120 university students with professional skills on their path to becoming leaders who will light the way for Turkey's future, while also laying the foundation for their future success. Cargill's "Women Leaders of Tomorrow" programme, launched to contribute to the development of women leaders who will light the way for Turkey's future, has entered its second year. The programme, implemented in collaboration with Turkish Education Foundation (TEV), supports over 120 university students. Scholarship recipients selected from among candidates eligible for TEV scholarships study in departments such as Food Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Business Administration, Business Engineering, Veterinary Medicine, Animal Science and Law at various universities across Turkey.   In addition to scholarship support, the programme provides mentoring, on-site training at production facilities, participation in R&D projects, seminar work, internships, professional and personal development training and book support. Students also have the opportunity to gain firsthand experience in Cargill's areas of operation and learn best practices in the sector through meetings with women employees from different cultures and positions working for Cargill around the world.

Tarakçıoğlu: "We are working to create value for communities"

Murat Tarakçıoğlu, Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Cargill Food Middle East, Turkey, Africa and India, stated that the Women Leaders of Tomorrow programme is part of Cargill's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strategy, which aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Tarakçıoğlu said: "As Cargill, we offer fair and equal opportunities with the awareness of creating positive impact and value in society, and we embrace diversity. We are taking concrete steps to support the creation and development of role models. Cargill has committed to increasing the proportion of women in management globally to 50 per cent by 2030. Today, with 50 per cent women in the Cargill META management board and 40 per cent in the executive board, we are very close to achieving this target. Being aware of the great importance of education for human development, we support successful students from primary education to university through our corporate social responsibility programmes," he said.

"Our Cargill Women's Network members are a source of strength for young people"

"Cargill Primary School, which we built in Bursa Orhangazi in 2006, provides education to 500 students. Recently, we renovated two chemistry laboratories at TEVİTÖL, and our contributions to the development of future scientists will continue. Through the Women Leaders of Tomorrow programme, we are not only providing scholarships to university students who meet TEV's student selection criteria, but also being a source of strength in the professional and personal journeys of our young women. Our Cargill Women's Network members and Young Professional Network members meet with our students and share their experiences. We work to enable tomorrow's young women leader candidates to see how they can break glass ceilings, and to contribute to their becoming successful and confident individuals with career opportunities in the future. Our aim is to develop women, following the path drawn by Atatürk, who are modern, who desire to create value for their country and the world, who believe in themselves, and who have the determination and strength to step by step reach the highest goals they set for themselves," he said.

"Every young person is one step closer to their dreams"

Banu Taşkın, General Director of TEV, made the following remarks about the programme: "The Turkish Education Foundation, an institution that has devoted itself to supporting young people for 55 years with the mission of equal opportunity in education, draws its strength from its successful scholarship recipients and education partners who progress with shared goals. Our collaboration with Cargill, which began with the Scholarship Fund in 2017, has strengthened further. The 'Women Leaders of Tomorrow' programme, launched with the goal of developing free-thinking, free-minded and enlightened generations that will carry our country into the future, continues to be a light for our young women. The 'Women Leaders of Tomorrow' programme offers great opportunities for our students who will be tomorrow's leaders, serve their country and inspire other women. Students benefiting from this programme are one step closer to realizing their dreams. As qualified, confident and modern Turkish women, they also honour us. Today, 65 per cent of TEV scholarship recipients find their first job within six months and 70 per cent are active in working life. 96 per cent believe they can be part of the solution to existing problems for a better society. We would like to extend our gratitude to the Cargill family, which we are delighted to advance on the same path. We will continue to work for every young person who aims to create value for themselves, society and their country," she said.

"Support from Cargill and TEV renewed my hopes for the future"

University students receiving mentorship from Cargill employees within the scope of the "Women Leaders of Tomorrow" programme shared their views as follows: Engineering Faculty Student, TEV Scholar Serap: Being part of such a programme during a time when I was struggling to write my thesis, finish my exams and worrying about what I would do after school renewed my hopes. Now I know that I can confidently apply to large companies because I now know how to behave in interviews, what my CV should look like or how to deal with difficulties. Engineering Faculty Student, TEV Scholar Gül Nur: I extend my infinite thanks to Turkish Education Foundation and Cargill for holding my hand during such difficult times. The effort they have given us is truly very valuable. During this process, I received great support not only financially but also for self-development and learning new things. Engineering Faculty Student, TEV Scholar Özlem: My goal is to become an exemplary woman engineer. Thanks to this programme, I have learned about interview simulations, the professions of the future and many topics related to working life. Cargill was the first factory where I could apply my engineering education. Engineering Faculty Student, TEV Scholar Başak: I think that TEV and Cargill's programme focused on empowering Turkish women really adds a lot to students. Veterinary Faculty Student, TEV Scholar Esvan: Listening to successful women in working life is truly a very different experience. Thank you to everyone who brought this wonderful programme to life and contributed to it. Engineering Faculty Student, TEV Scholar İpek: I am very grateful to TEV and the Cargill family for giving young women like me, who have not yet started our careers, the opportunity to listen to the experiences of successful people in working life, ask them questions and communicate with them.