Polat Makina Pioneers Industry Innovation with Its Welder Operator Training Program for Women
Offering complete production lines for olive oil and avocado oil, centrifuge technologies (decanters and separators), and extraction systems for various industries globally through its offices in Istanbul and Aydın, as well as Italy, Greece, and Morocco, Polat Makina has taken an innovative step in the industrial sector—where female representation has historically been low—by launching its “Female Welder Operator Training Program.”
Under the program, female trainees with no prior experience with welding equipment receive both theoretical and practical training on equipment usage and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) from Polat Makina’s experienced technical instructors at the Astim Continuous Education Center. Women who successfully complete the program earn an official “Mastery Vocational Certificate.” Following the initiation of the program on July 17, 2023, the first 8 female welder operators who completed their training began working within Polat Makina. By diversifying this initiative—launched to contribute to gender equality—with additional training schemes, the company aims to raise the proportion of female employees within its organization to 15 percent by the end of 2025.
Volkan Polat, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at Polat Makina, stated: “Professions such as welding, CNC machining, and electrical engineering, which are increasingly pursued by women in many countries, are unfortunately still perceived as male-dominated roles in our country. At Polat Makina, we are working to break this perception, remove the barriers in front of women, and help them take a more active role in the business world and the industrial sector.” Expressing his excitement over seeing female welder operators achieve remarkable success in a field entirely new to them, Polat added that they target introducing 15 certified female welder operators to the sector every year, while expanding training programs into different technical domains to foster female employment across various industrial fields.
L. Mutlu Şahan, General Manager of Polat Makina, added: “At Polat Makina, we believe in the power of women. We attach great importance to uncovering their technical talents and increasing their presence in the industrial sphere. Through our Female Welder Operator Training Program, we are delighted to contribute to gender equality, boost female employment, and enable more women to become active and productive in heavy industry. Moving forward, we will extend our training programs and initiatives for female employment beyond welding into other technical disciplines.”
