The opening meeting of the Algoritm Ankara event began under the auspices of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority.
The opening meeting of the Algoritm Ankara project, launched to showcase the software skills of high school students, was held. The event, where motivational speakers shared their success stories with students, was attended by Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Ankara Governor Vasip Şahin, Chairman of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, and figures from the academic world.
In his speech at the opening, Deputy Minister Sayan spoke about the importance he attaches to young people. Noting that revolutionary innovations have occurred in every field over the last 20 years, Sayan said, “We are a state that trusts itself, trusts its people, has strengthened its democracy, struggles to be a pioneer and leader, and stands firm against all kinds of threats. This struggle continues every moment. While we work day and night, we never settle for the services we provide and run for better ones, we trust the youth. You will run faster than us, go further than us, be stronger than us so that our country progresses. We work to offer you the best, the most modern and beneficial of everything, and you will make the best use of the opportunities and possibilities ahead of you.”
Deputy Minister Sayan: We Must Develop in Every Field to Achieve Leadership Position
Drawing attention to the need for a well-equipped human resource in every sense for our country to achieve a leadership position, Sayan stated that we need to develop not in just one field, but in all of these areas.
Emphasizing that they will provide all kinds of support to young people in the technological field, Sayan said, “As you know, with the entry of concepts such as artificial intelligence, IoT, machine-to-machine communication, and big data into our lives, new professional branches have also emerged. In particular, new professional branches that we will hear about frequently in the near future, such as cloud computing expertise, big data analysis, shared vehicle driving, and driverless vehicle engineering, will settle at the center of our lives. We need young talents who are eager to work in this regard. Of course, you will study at the best universities to develop yourselves, learn languages in the best way, and make the best career plan. While doing this, your roadmap will be the 'National Technology Move'.”
Especially underlining the importance of being domestic and national in the software field, Sayan drew attention to the importance of domestic production with the words, “Today, even a tiny nail that we do not produce ourselves and have no say in can turn into a tool of pressure for us one day. For this reason, we need products, software, and systems that we can design and produce with our own means.”
Chairman Karagözoğlu: Producing Software is More Important than Producing Weapons
Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, Chairman of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority, also defined the software sector as a mine waiting to be processed. Touching upon the fact that countries producing their own software is more important than producing their own weapons, Karagözoğlu said, “What makes the software sector important is that other sectors need software. Today, we need software to produce a car, and also to produce the things we eat and drink. In fact, we even need to know software to produce the computers we will use to write software. Companies that want to compete globally and develop innovative applications are doomed to stagnate without the support of the software sector. In short, we can describe software as the locomotive of other sectors.”
Also mentioning the studies conducted by the Institution, Karagözoğlu said, “As the Information Technologies and Communication Authority; one of the most valuable aspects of our ongoing studies to follow developments related to the internet, to be a guide in the sector, and to produce new policies is our studies on the relationship our children establish with the digital world. We work to ensure that our children benefit effectively and efficiently from the advantages of the internet while finding various ways to protect them from risks and threats, and to keep them safe.”
In his speech, Chairman Karagözoğlu also provided information about BTK Academy. Stating that trainings have been prepared in 22 professional categories, Karagözoğlu said, “Here, lessons given by Turkey's most respected educators are offered with free state support. There are 100 thousand minutes of training under 194 different training titles on the platform. Today, approximately 900 thousand users benefit from the trainings provided by BTK Academy. Our goal is to increase this number. Let's increase it so that everyone benefits even more from these trainings,” he concluded his speech.
Following the opening speeches, motivational speakers shared success stories with the students.