Interview with Ahmet Akyol, ASELSAN’s President & CEO

Our Bureau - : Oct 23, 2024 - : 2:36 am

“Aselsan is leading the Next Big Move to Türkiye programme and in the first nine months of 2024, 700 Turkish engineers working in different parts of the world have applied to come back to Türkiye.” Aselsan has over 11,000 employees...

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Aselsan has over 11,000 employees and the company recruits 1000-1500 new employees annually. Ahmet Akyol, Aselsan’s President & CEO, in an exclusive interview with Atul Chandra, Technology Editor at Global Business Press, talks about the fast-growing defence firm’s importance as an employer in Türkiye.

Please elaborate on Aselsan’s importance as an employer in Turkey?

Developing technology for half a century, Aselsan is a leading international defence electronics company that offers solutions in a wide range of fields from under the sea to outer space. Our company makes strategic investments to contribute to the Turkish economy with the firm’s high-tech production.

Qualified human resources can be defined as Aselsan’s success as our company has opened vocational high school to support the youth, as well as internship and talent programs for qualified and talented students to be employed in Aselsan.

Our company employs approximately 1,000-1,500 talents every year. Besides that, we are also leading the Next Big Move to Türkiye program, which supports the return of our citizens who have gained experience abroad. In the first nine months of 2024, 700 Turkish engineers working in different parts of the world applied to the program to come back to Türkiye and work at Aselsan.

We are also proud to announce that Aselsan is selected as Best Defence Industry Company every year by different accredited institutions

What is the total strength of the workforce across Aselsan and the age groups. Please also elaborate on women in the workforce?

We are a big family which includes +11.000 employees from different age groups. When you include our subsidiaries, this number is more than 14,000. Average age of our staff is 34 which is an indication that we are a very young and dynamic group. And 21 percent of our employees consist of women.

What steps is Aselsan taking to induct the best and brightest young minds in Türkiye?

Aselsan gives great importance to youth employment and recruiting young talents. There are two main talent programs that introduce young talents to Aselsan while they are students and provide them with the opportunity to develop themselves while gaining work experience in the Aselsan culture.

“a Talent 3” aims to support students who are in the 2nd semester of the 3rd grade with mentoring and project processes. “a Talent 4” aims to support 4th year students with mentoring, reverse mentoring and individual projects, allowing them to gain Aselsan experience until graduation and supporting students in their technical and behavioural competencies.

We create areas for our young talents to start their careers with more advantages in every aspect of the benefits provided to them. Candidates who successfully complete the program are employed by Aselsan.

What are the steps being taken to train and also upgrade the skills of Aselsan’s existing workforce?

At Aselsan, we prioritize continuous development for our workforce to ensure they remain at the forefront of technological advancements. To achieve this, we have a structured approach that includes several key initiatives. First, we have extensive training programs tailored to various roles and departments. These programs are designed to align with the latest industry standards and technologies, ensuring our employees stay updated with cutting-edge developments.

Additionally, we embrace a blended learning approach, combining traditional classroom training with e-learning platforms, enabling flexibility for our employees to access learning resources anytime. We also invest heavily in talent development through partnerships with universities and global tech organizations, ensuring our teams benefit from the latest research and innovations.

We foster a strong culture of continuous learning, where professional development is not a one-time activity but a career-long journey, supported by periodic assessments and personalized learning pathways.

Please elaborate on Aselsan’s partnerships with Turkish academia to train and recruit the right talent?

Aselsan has long-standing and strategic partnerships with Turkish academia to ensure that we attract and develop the brightest talent in the country. Our collaborations with leading universities are multifaceted, including research and development projects, co-op education programs, and internship opportunities. Through these partnerships, we actively contribute to shaping curricula to align with industry needs, particularly in areas like defence technologies and artificial intelligence.

We also run talent development programs in close cooperation with universities, such as internship programs and part time work for third and fourth-year students, where they gain hands-on experience with our advanced technologies.

Moreover, we have implemented recruitment initiatives like career fairs, university visits, and collaborative competitions to identify and engage top talent early in their academic journey. These partnerships not only help us train future talent but also foster a culture of innovation and collaboration between Aselsan and academia.

What are Aselsan’s recruitment plans till 2026?

Our biggest strength lies in our work force, which is very young, high-skilled and innovative. It is very important for such a technology talent hub like Türkiye to keep the young talents aspired and motivated for developing our own national technologies, especially in a critical area like “defence”.

We are aware of our responsibilities and take the issue of investing in our human resources very seriously. In this framework, Aselsan continues to employ the most qualified employees with its talent programs and the Next Big Move to Türkiye program. We will continue our recruitment activities in line with the needs to make recruitment trends sustainable.

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