Türkiye is seizing the opportunity to create more and better jobs for women in the transport sector, a critical part of the World Bank Group’s development agenda focused on empowering youth and strengthening communities. Investments in infrastructure, including railways, roads, electricity, and digital access, are key pathways to building human and physical capital, creating business opportunities, and enabling women and young people to participate fully in economic growth.
Transport remains one of the most male-dominated sectors worldwide, with women representing only 12 percent of the workforce, despite making up 37 percent of graduates in engineering, manufacturing, and construction. Closing this gender gap requires targeted policies, private investment, and investment in human capital, including education and skills development. Internships have emerged as an effective tool for bridging the gap between academic training and professional opportunities.
Türkiye’s Rail Logistics Improvement Project (RLIP), supported by the World Bank and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure (MoTI), illustrates this approach. Between 2020 and 2025, 250 final-year STEM students participated in internships directly aligned with their academic backgrounds. Structured supervision, mentorship, performance evaluations, and financial support, including stipends and insurance, ensured meaningful engagement and reduced barriers to entry.
The results highlight the impact: employment rates for graduates were 80 percent for the 2022 cohort and 50 percent for the 2023 cohort, with most securing their first professional roles in areas related to their internships. The program’s success also demonstrates strong demand for career-entry initiatives among women in male-dominated industries, growing from an initial target of 20 participants to 250.
By embedding gender inclusion in a national ministry project, Türkiye has set a benchmark for the broader transport and logistics sector. Programs are expanding under new World Bank-financed projects, offering longer post-internship job placement support and increasing the number of female interns. The model is replicable across transport operators, logistics companies, and infrastructure agencies in Türkiye and the region, requiring commitment, thoughtful design, and tracking of outcomes.
Ultimately, this initiative has opened doors for 250 women to gain hands-on experience, professional networks, and career opportunities, demonstrating how targeted interventions in male-dominated sectors can drive broader gender inclusion and contribute to sustainable economic growth.
