Machinery Program Alumni Meeting: Our 2011 Edremit Vocational School Machinery Program Graduate, Mechanical Engineer Mehmet Akif ÖZTEMUR, Owner of KULE LİFT Engineering, Met with Our Students Online

Delivering the opening speech of the event, Asst. Prof. Dr. Recep KOÇ, Head of the Machinery Program under the Department of Machinery and Metal Technologies, emphasized the importance of strengthening the bonds established with alumni. He stated that drawing inspiration from graduates who possess industry experience would significantly contribute to students' career planning.

In his speech, Mehmet Akif ÖZTEMUR shared the perspective that individuals coming from a practical background—who graduated from Vocational High Schools or Vocational Schools of Higher Education (MYO) and went on to study Mechanical Engineering—possess high self-confidence, and that knowing the manufacturing sector hands-on makes them courageous in establishing their own businesses. Thanks to the trust he built within his network, he expanded KULE LİFT, the elevator company he founded in 2016. Throughout this 10-year period, he secured an authorized dealership for ARÇELİK-BEKO, a franchise for KELEBEK MOBİLYA, and a partnership with KUTAY SAVUNMA A.Ş., through which he carries out project collaborations with our national defense industry giants, ASELSAN and HAVELSAN. He noted that today, masters who have grown up from within practical applications earn at least twice the salary of some working mechanical engineers; therefore, he advised students that they can achieve successful works by coming from a practical background, even without becoming engineers. He shared the view that ordinary mechanical engineers often struggle to read measuring instruments and face difficulties in combining design with manufacturing applications, and for this reason, studying at Edremit Vocational School provided him with great qualifications.

Answering the questions of the participants, Mehmet Akif advised students to personally immerse themselves in practical applications, and told them that they can solve any problems they encounter by remaining curious, patient, and determined to learn. He also drew attention to the importance of producing projects, learning foreign languages, and continuously updating oneself for their professional development.

As the Machinery Program, we will continue to organize events aimed at bringing the knowledge and experiences of our alumni together with our students.

We would like to thank our esteemed graduate Mehmet Akif ÖZTEMUR for his contributions and wish him continued success in his professional life.