Internship duration for university students to be extended: New system to be launched in seven provinces
With a new regulation in higher education, internship periods for university students are being extended to at least one semester. The pilot program will be implemented in seven different cities in the first phase.
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An important change is being made regarding the mandatory internship requirements and durations in university education. According to new decisions taken by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), the practical training processes for students in associate and undergraduate programs will be extended.
Within the scope of the new regulation, students in associate degree programs will spend one of their four semesters doing an internship, while those in undergraduate programs will spend at least one semester doing so. Alternatively, educational models will be offered in the form of three semesters of theoretical training and one semester of internship, or two semesters of theoretical training and two semesters of internship. In undergraduate programs, there will be opportunities to take courses for seven semesters and do an internship for one semester, or take courses for six semesters and do an internship for two semesters.
Education Expert Sadık Gültekin pointed out that this step is very appropriate for university students, stating, "It is actually a very appropriate and correct practice. As you know, internship periods were previously a 20-23 day process. Is this enough? It is never enough. With this change, the student will transfer their knowledge to the sector and transfer the knowledge or problems in the sector to the academy. This appears to be an extremely positive practice for the student in terms of both adaptation and subsequent job acceptance."
Council of Higher Education President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar announced that the practice will first be launched in Konya, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Bursa, Kocaeli, Izmir, and Ankara.
TIES WITH THE BUSINESS WORLD WILL BE STRENGTHENED
Prof. Dr. Özvar emphasized that the regulation will strengthen the cooperation between the business world and universities. "With this model, our students will learn by applying their academic knowledge within business life, and they will establish a strong bond with the business world before graduation. Thus, our students will gain direct experience in business life. The equipment and productivity of our graduates will be increased. The transition processes to employment will be accelerated," he said.
With the new model, detailed information regarding the tasks students will undertake in businesses, evaluation methods, and occupational health and safety will also be included in the internship contracts to be signed.
This new practice regarding higher education is aimed to be expanded to the entire country in the coming years. Officials state that increasing internship durations is of critical importance for both the students' adaptation to work life and for providing advantages in employment processes.