THE ESTABLISHMENT OBJECTIVE OF TOBB ECONOMY AND TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY

Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey Economy and Technology University (TOBB ETU) is founded by TOBB for the purpose of educating entrepreneurial and qualified community leaders.

Started giving education on 24.09.2004 with 270 students accepted in 3 faculties and 7 departments, TOBB ETU gained a distinct and exclusive seat within the Turkish education system in a very short time thanks to its genuine program and implementations. TOBB ETU continued education in 2005-2006 academic year with total 700 students in 10 departments.

While on one hand building a strong academic research-development infrastructure towards future with its modern laboratories and research centers, TOBB ETU, on the other hand, aims to train young people both theoretically and practically to ignite the wick of private sector dynamics together with industrial, trade and service institutions.

WHAT IS COOPERATIVE EDUCATION?

The characteristic of this method is; that the student, while maintaining the normal undergraduate study, as to be 4 months in every academic year, has the opportunity to gain work experience in a real work atmosphere within an industrial or commercial enterprise related with his/her undergraduate program and the opportunity to apply what he/she learns. Accordingly the students would improve themselves by implementing the theoretical and applied information within the real business world.

In addition they communicate the problems of business world to the university and they enforce their theory-practice skills by researching the issues to be solved through the possibilities of university-industry by joint studies or by carrying out model productions. During these actions, the students also get informed about the new technologies and applications in the industrial and service enterprises.

SIMILAR APPLICATIONS IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES ABOUT THE COOPERATIVE EDUCATION

The main issue in realizing the university-industry cooperation is to establish the balance between the university and the industry in terms of education. Universities far from meeting the human power requirement of the industry cause qualified unemployment by producing graduates constantly. For this reason, for a successful Cooperative Education program, the whole business world should approach the issue at least as interested and eager as the universities.

The university-industry cooperation which has not yet been provided adequately despite all well-intentioned studies, will be carried out through the model created by TOBB ETU.

In the Cooperative Education Model which will be an authentic study for Turkey, the success depends on the education to be given both by the university and by the industry and the companies.

 These countries carry out their cooperative education programs within the framework of their own industrial and cultural characteristics.

THE BENEFITS OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATION MODEL FOR THE STUDENTS, WORKPLACES, TOBB ETU AND OUR NATION

Since the Cooperative Education Model depends on the extensive cooperation of the university and industry, it is a very useful model both for the industrial enterprises and for the students.

Benefits for Students:

• The student, while studying, has the opportunity to work in a field related to his/her own undergraduate branch and will have the chance to prepare oneself to the business world.
• When graduated, as an experienced staff within the work branch, the student will have the opportunity to find employment either at the place he/she worked within the scope of the cooperative education or at a similar company.

Benefits for Workplaces:

• The workplaces will have the opportunity to meet their labor force demand by experienced workers they already knew.
• In short term, during the cooperative education program they will have the opportunity to utilize qualified labor force.

Benefits for the Universities:

• The university will have the opportunity to implement and constantly develop the education programs where information and skills that the industry and business world demand would be given.
• The problems faced in the business life will be solved by being handled as R&D projects and throughout these studies the university will be aware of innovations and high-technology industry applications.
• By the Cooperative Education Program, the University will support the promotion of technology production.

Benefits for the Nation:

• The system will facilitate the transfer of higher education graduate young people as experienced and expert staff to business life and the return of the education expenses to economy as profit will be accelerated.
• Also the productivity of business life will increase.

THE STRUCTURE OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATION AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT COORDINATORSHIP

TOBB Economy and Technology University has established a Cooperative Education and Career Development Coordinatorship for the purposes of; carrying out the relations between industry and workplaces, informing the students about career selecting, planning and developing related to their skills, fields of interest and study and offering them consultancy services.

This Coordinatorship, under the leadership of the Cooperative Education and Career Development Coordinator subordinated to the Rector, consists of; one representative from each of the faculties and independent departments within the university, Five businessman assigned by Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey among various industrial and commercial sectors, namely the Consultative Committee.

THE DUTIES OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATION AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT COORDINATORSHIP

1. Finding proper enterprises and workplaces for the students for cooperative education and classify these workplaces according to their filed of activity.

2. Assisting the university students for selecting workplace in accordance with their interest and skills.

3. Getting into relation with the industrial, commercial and service workplaces found to be convenient for the cooperative education and coordinating the whole activities.

HOW THESE TASKS ARE PERFORMED IN THE EXECUTION OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATION?

Consultants to take care of students are assigned among the academic members of the faculties and independent departments of the university. These consultants cooperate with the Cooperative Education and Career Development Coordinatorship and undertake responsibilities in supervising, controlling the activities within the workplaces where the students perform cooperative education and in evaluation of the education.

OTHER SERVICES OFFERED TO STUDENTS BY THE COORDINATORSHIP

The coordinatorship guides the decisions of students such as career selecting and shifting related to their skills. Assists the graduates to be employed in workplaces in accordance with their skills and to benefit from domestic and abroad training and expertise opportunities where they would develop their careers in field of works.

Supervising the successes of the graduates and determining the inadequacies they faced, uses the gathered data to eliminate the deficiencies in education and application programs applied in TOBB ETU.

HOW IS THE TOBB ETU COOPERATIVE EDUCATION APPLIED?

This model is organized as an at most 12-month application according to the characteristics of the departments.

The students are separated into groups according to the situation of the departments. They continue their education alternately one semester in each year in institutions or workplaces selected as the places of application.

Each student in TOBB ETU passing the preparatory and 1st class lessons: Will receive applied education in each academic year within the periods given below.

1. Application Period: September-December

2. Application Period: January-April

3. Application Period: May-August

and pass the cooperative education lessons.

WHAT IS BEING DONE FOR PLACE AND STUDENT SELECTION WITHIN THE SCOPE OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATION?

Cooperative Education and Career Development Coordinatorship establish a "workplace data bank" where information about institutions, enterprises and workplaces that the students would be placed are gathered and also a "student data bank" where the identity information, educational details, filed of interests and preferences of the students who have the responsibility of cooperative education are gathered.

The students search the related data bank about the workplaces and choose three of them and notify the Coordinatorship.

Similarly the workplaces submit their 3 student options they made through the student data bank to the Coordinatorship.

WHAT IS THE METHOD USED FOR SELECTING WORKPLACE FOR THE STUDENT IN THE CCOOPERATIVE EDUCATION?

Taking the preferences of the students and companies into account, the Coordinatorship, before making the placement in the Cooperative Education program establishes a connection between the student and workplace's educational officer when needed and afterwards makes the placement according to the results of the meeting.  Within demand ranking the results of the meeting and the average grade-point of students are indicative.

The Coordinatorship, at the beginning and during the Cooperative education, gives the parties information related to the objectives and procedure and takes all necessary measures to meet the special conditions and expectations of the workplaces in student employment.

THE BEGINNING OF THE COOPERATIVE EDUCATION AND THE FACILITIES OFFERED

TOBB ETU and the Workplace signs Cooperative Education protocol. In addition to this protocol, TOBB ETU Cooperative Education Coordinator or the consultant, the representative of the institution or the enterprise and the student participating in the cooperative education sign the agreement. The employer, prescribed by the agreement, specifies the cooperative working facilities, food, transportation, accommodation and the allowance to be paid.

In terms of occupational health and safety, the student benefits from the social protection provided by the social security system of his/her parents.

IS COOPERATIVE EDUCATION ABROAD POSSIBLE?

It is possible for the students to find workplaces abroad related to their own fields and perform cooperative education. Those having this opportunity takes guidance support by the Cooperative Education and Career Development Coordinatorship.

EXECUTION OF THE COOPERATIVE EDUCATION AND RESOLUTION OF PROBLEMS

The problems faced during the Cooperative Education will be evaluated under the supervision of the Consultant assigned by the Universty and the Human Resources Director of the enterprise and Cooperative Education Coordinator of the University. The problems emerging from this application will be resolved by the board consisting of these people.

HOW ARE THE STUDIES WITHIN THE SCOPE OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATION BEING EVALUATED?

During the Cooperative Education, the students work under the supervision of cooperative education officer of the enterprise.

Each student participating in the Cooperative Education application drafts a report by the end of the period about his/her studies.

The cooperative education officer of the enterprise drafts a "workplace evaluation report" about the student. This report includes the position, interest, will of participation, attitude and development during the work of the student.

At the end of the cooperative education, the students submit the cooperative education report through oral presentation to the committee consisting of the consultant and faculty or department authorities. The Consultant evaluates both report in consideration of this presentation and drafts the cooperative education evaluation report about the student and gives the period score as "passed/failed" by evaluating the success rate of the student within the period in this report. "Failed" students have to repeat the cooperative education in another workplace.