International University Career Centers Workshop

The International Workshop for Establishment and Capacity Building of University Career Centres In Abroad Communities was held by our association in cooperation with Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TCCA) and Istanbul Technical University (ITU) between 12-14 November 2016 in ITU Ayazağa Campus. Current situation of university career centres in different countries and future cooperation for capacity building was addressed by career centre managers and experts from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Kosovo, Macedonia, Sarajevo, Senegal and Somali.

Program launched with representation of strategies, goals, activities especially in the participant countries of umbrella organizations TCCA, The Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities and Yunus Emre Foundation. After questions of participants, program continued with country presentations about career implementations in different countries and universities. In this regard, on behalf of our country, first presentation was performed by ITU Career Centre Director Assoc. Prof. Salim Atay and his team including detailed information and practices about status quo of university career centres in Turkey, services and activities of ITU Career Centre and Euroasia’s biggest career fair ITU Career Summit. Afterwards, experts and academicians from sonra Macedonia S.S. Cyril and Methodius University and Senegal Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar shared information about career practices in their countries and universities. After the lunch, academicians and career centre managers from Azerbaijan State University of Economics and ADA University, International Universdity of Sarajevo performed their presentations. Following the Bosporus tour with dinner, first day of the workshop was ended.

Second day of the workshop proceeded with country presentations. During the morning session, Kazakistan Eurasian National University, Kırgızistan Kırgız State University, Kosovo University of Prishtina and Somali Magadishu University transferred their know how and experience about career practices in their countries. Following the short campus tour in ITU Ayazaga Campus after lunch, program continued with presentation of Dr. Jean Jacques Ruppert, IAEVG Luxembourg representative. Ruppert shared his presentation that explains the evolution of job concept, the content of career counselling in this process and future of career counselling. After introductory presentation of Career and Talent Management Association activities and discussing future cooperation possibilities in participant countries, second day of the workshop was accomplished.

At the last day of the workshop, participants visited 2nd Turkey Engineering Career Fair (TECF) which was organized by Career and Talent Management Association in Beşiktaş Vodafone Arena. Our guests experienced the unique, nationwide engineering career event lively and had the opportunity to meet with human resources teams of many companies face-to-face, to share know how and to create new networks. After TECF visit, the guests were sent off to their countries and the workshop was completed.