Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University brought together representatives of academia and the business world at the same table with its “Applied Graduation Project Model,” which aims to prepare students for professional life.
Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University opened a new educational model aimed at responding to the expectations of the business world for discussion. The “Search Conference,” which aims to structurally transform the ties between academia and the business world and to directly contribute to qualified employment, was held at IZU. Organized at the Historical Museum Hall under the main theme “Shaping the Talents of the Future Together,” the “Applied Graduation Project Search Conference and Collective Intelligence Workshop” brought together leading representatives of academia and the business world. With the participation of representatives from Turkish Airlines, LC Waikiki, Albayrak Holding, Doğanlar Holding, Ziraat Participation Bank, Dünya Participation Bank, and EKSİM Holding, as well as sector representatives, faculty members, and students, the conference addressed a new generation collaboration model that goes beyond the limits of traditional education models and focuses on sectoral needs and tangible outcomes.
KÜÇÜK: “THE MAIN PROBLEM OF THE BUSINESS WORLD IS THE TALENT GAP AND ADAPTATION ISSUE”
Speaking at the opening session of the conference, Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Küçük emphasized that one of the greatest handicaps of both Turkey and the global business world is the “talent gap and adaptation process.” Küçük stated that the adaptation process of new graduates to corporate life, business ethics, and the dynamic pace of the sector both takes time and is costly.
YUMUŞAK: “THE BEST GRADUATE IS THE ONE DEMANDED BY THE SECTOR”
Project coordinator and Dean of the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Güran Yumuşak, pointed out that traditional graduation theses prepared within classical university education often remain on library shelves, highlighting the insufficiency of touching real problems in the field of industry. Emphasizing that the business world needs “job-ready” talents who are trained in the core of the profession, have high data literacy, have internalized corporate culture, and can sit at their desks and produce direct added value on the day they graduate, Yumuşak continued: “We do not want to design this process alone at a desk. Because IZU acts with the understanding that the best graduate is the one directly demanded by the sector. For this reason, we aimed to finalize the framework of the project by shaping it with the real-world experiences of external stakeholders.”
PROJECT AND OUTPUT-ORIENTED APPROACH
The “Applied Graduation Project Model” introduced at the conference is clearly distinguished from ordinary internship programs. Within the scope of the model, which has a project- and output-oriented infrastructure, it is envisaged that fourth-year students who have proven their academic and technical competencies will work at least two full days a week in partner companies for one academic semester. Upon graduation, 70% of the students’ success grade will be determined by the academic advisor and jury, while the remaining 30% will be left to the evaluation of the sector mentor within the framework of corporate adaptation and professionalism criteria.
THE FLOOR WAS GIVEN TO THE WORKING TABLES
In the workshop organized in three groups, the outcomes from the tables titled Curriculum and Expectations, Implementation Principles and Crisis Management, and Legal Framework and Cooperation Protocol were presented to the general assembly, followed by the closing evaluation session.