YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar outlined efforts to strengthen cooperation between universities and industry at the Program for Expanding Vocational Education in Higher Education, held at the Prof. Dr. Baki Komsuoğlu Cultural and Congress Center at Kocaeli University.
Özvar announced that the workplace-based vocational education model had been launched as a pilot in seven provinces: Konya, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Bursa, Kocaeli, Izmir and Ankara. The first phase of the implementation will include 185 vocational associate degree programs attended by approximately 120,000 students across Türkiye.
A structured education model instead of an internship
Özvar said the higher education system was not limited solely to education and training activities, adding that universities held a strategic position in developing human capital, transforming the production structure and increasing competitiveness.
Özvar said YÖK conducted quota planning through a data-based approach that took the needs of industries into account. He stated that quotas had been reduced in programs with no employment opportunities or weakening ties to industry, some programs had been transformed and those no longer needed had been closed.
Özvar said new programs in strategic fields such as artificial intelligence, digital technologies, advanced manufacturing systems, the green transformation, energy, agricultural technologies and health were being supported, adding that the success of universities could not be measured solely by the number of students and graduates.
Özvar said conventional internships were insufficient for students’ professional development and for meeting the expectations of industries, adding that they aimed for students in vocational schools and undergraduate programs to spend one or two semesters directly within working life.
Özvar said the new model was not an extended internship but a structured educational process that carried academic credit, was subject to assessment and evaluation, and was monitored academically. He said the procedures and principles for workplace-based vocational education had been published, thereby defining the responsibilities of universities, businesses, responsible faculty members and students.
Students will receive at least one semester of training at businesses
Özvar said the model aimed to turn theoretical knowledge into practical skills in a real work environment, adding that students would be monitored with academic guidance and support from training staff. He said the knowledge, skills and competencies acquired would be assessed in line with the Turkish Qualifications Framework.
Özvar said the Workplace-Based Vocational Education Model would give students experience in production discipline, occupational health and safety culture, and the functioning of working life. He added that businesses would also gain the opportunity to get to know more closely the students they might employ in the future.
Özvar said they aimed to place university-industry cooperation on an institutional and sustainable footing rather than relying on temporary initiatives. He said education programs would be prepared by taking into account the knowledge, skills and competencies needed by industries, and invited industry representatives to participate in curriculum development processes.
Cooperation protocol signed in Kocaeli
Özvar said cooperation protocols had been signed with the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, the Aegean Region Chamber of Industry, the Gaziantep Chamber of Industry, and the Bursa chambers of industry and commerce to support workplace-based vocational education. He said the protocol in Kocaeli aimed to strengthen cooperation between universities and the industrial and commercial sectors.
The protocol covers expanding workplace-based vocational education, updating education programs according to industry needs, opening new programs, enriching course content with contributions from industry representatives, and supporting students at businesses through training staff.
Kocaeli Governor İlhami Aktaş, AK Party Kocaeli Deputy Radiye Sezer Katıcıoğlu, Kocaeli Metropolitan Mayor Tahir Büyükakın, Kocaeli Chamber of Industry Chairman Ayhan Zeytinoğlu and Kocaeli Chamber of Commerce Assembly President Hüseyin Gezer also spoke at the program.
Later, YÖK President Özvar, Kocaeli Chamber of Industry Chairman Zeytinoğlu and KOTO Assembly President Gezer signed the cooperation protocol. The protocol aims to ensure more effective and widespread implementation in Kocaeli of the Workplace-Based Vocational Education 3+1 Model, which combines students’ theoretical education with the practical experience of the business world.
AK Party Kocaeli deputies Mehmet Akif Yılmaz and Cemil Yaman, New Party Kocaeli Deputy Mühip Kanko, İYİ Party Kocaeli Deputy Lütfü Türkkan, academics and businesspeople attended the program.
