Education

Gülseren Özdemir Special Education Practice School

“Gülseren Özdemir Special Education Practice School” was built by the Limak Foundation in order to ensure that children with mental and physical disabilities with special education requirements have equal opportunities in the society and the school had an opening a ceremony in November 5, 2018 which was attended by our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the First Lady Emine Erdoğan and it was donated to the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Education.

Gülseren Özdemir Special Education Practice School is Turkey’s largest special educational institution with five thousand square meters of indoor space. At the same time, it is qualified as being the only school among special educational institutions that includes 3 levels namely primary, secondary and high school. The school, which consists of 27 classrooms and has a total capacity of 300 students, is designed to provide education and training in the best conditions for students with moderate and severe disabilities, students with moderate and severe autism, and students with multiple disabilities (mental and physical).

In addition to the classrooms, the school is equipped with a library, computer room, parent waiting lounge, parentteachers association room, physical therapy and speech therapy hall, infirmary, dining hall, conference hall for 100 persons, with backstage and foyer, 2 elevators (of dimensions to accommodate a stretcher), plus training and game stations and outdoor classrooms in the garden. Currently, the school accommodates 174 students, including those enrolled in lifelong education programs, with a total of 89 educators, including five administrators, one PDR specialist, one nurse, and special education and subject teachers.

Since the 2021-2022 academic year, occupational therapy sessions, exclusively offered at the Gülseren Özdemir Special Education Practice School in Türkiye, have been conducted in collaboration with Medipol University. In sports activities such as athletics, swimming, and students achieved remarkable success, winning 45 medals in the 2021-2022 academic year and 49 medals in the 2022- 2023 academic year.

The school, awarded the “Sports Friendly School” certificate, stood out as one of the top educational institutions in Istanbul’s “Good Examples in Education” competitions. Moreover, its students made history by participating in the International Jewelry Fair, making it the first private education institution worldwide to partake in such an event.

In 2023, the school hosted intern trainees from various universities. Health Sciences University interns received training in Child Development, while Medipol University interns specialized in Special Education, Nursing, and Occupational Therapy. Additionally, Bezmialem University interns focused on Nursing.

KEDS Academy

KEDS Academy, established in 2014 to contribute to the solution of the unemployment problem in Kosovo and to provide qualified workforce to the energy sector by the Kosovo Electricity Distribution Company (KEDS), which conducts electricity distribution activities in Kosovo, produced its sixth term graduates. 414 students have graduated from the program carried out at the KEDS Academy, which has broken a record not only within the company but also in Kosovo, with the partnership of Boğaziçi University Lifelong Learning Center, Pristina University, Kosovo Ministry of Science, Education and Technology. The number of students who graduated from KEDS Academy and are still employed in KEDS and KESCO reached 254. The number of students who went for master’s degree and study abroad was 160.

Currently, the 11th cycle of KEDS Academy includes 18 university students and 80 students from technical high schools. This cycle also marks a significant partnership with the Center for Energy and Sustainability at the University of Prishtina, allowing students to explore topics such as green processes for sustainability, renewable energy, energy consumption, and the global challenges facing the energy transition.

LimakASI

Within the scope of the Limak ASI (Limak Airport Services Institute), established in 2014 at the Pristina Adem Jashari International Airport, operated by Limak, trainings on airport management are provided for senior students, and internships and job opportunities are provided to those who successfully complete the program.

150 students have graduated from the Limak ASI project, which was implemented with the cooperation of Pristina University and Boğaziçi University Lifelong Learning Center. While 60 percent of the participants were female students, 96 of the students who successfully completed the program were employed at Pristina Adem Jashari International Airport. At Pristina Adem Jashari International Airport, which has a Carbon Neutral Certificate, efforts are underway to restructure the current program on the axis of sustainability. 

LAS Academie

LAS Academie produced first graduates which was initiated in order to increase the number of the equipped young people in the country and contribute to their easier access to business opportunities in airport management by Blaise- Diagne International Airport that is completed in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, and operated with the partnership of Limak, Summa and the Senegal State.

LAS Academy shall provide career opportunities to youth people in the field of airport management in the world, particularly in Blaise-Diagne International Airport, in collaboration of Thies University, Ecole Nationale de L’aviation Civile and Boğaziçi University Lifelong Learning Center.

In the first period of the project, 30 students selected from 300 candidates completed their training program created by Boğaziçi University Lifelong Learning Center, ERNAM and LAS experts in 6 months and received their certificates.

Kuwait’s Engineer Girls

More than 200 female engineer students have benefited from the program, which is the first application of “Engineer Girls of Turkey” project abroad and launched in 2017 under the name “Engineer Girls of Kuwait” with the cooperation of Limak Construction Kuwait SPC, Kuwait University and Boğaziçi University.

The program, which gave its fourth term graduates with a ceremony held in November 2021, was implemented last year under the auspices of its existing stakeholders, upon a special request from the Kuwaiti Ministry of Youth Affairs, in addition to its current stakeholders.

Students who successfully completed 200 hours of training within the scope of the program were entitled to receive the Business Technology Education Council (BTEC) Management and Leadership Certificate, Boğaziçi University Lifelong Learning Center Certificate and Kuwait University Field Training Certificate.