CO-OP Model Represents Türkiye in London

At the QS Reimagine Education Awards, one of the most prestigious awards in the field of education, Bahçeşehir University reached the finals in the "Best University-Employer Partnership" category with its CO-OP program application, among more than 1,500 applications.

Bahçeşehir University (BAU), which implements CO-OP, the education model of the 21st century that brings together today and the future, life and school, and the university and the business world for the first time in Türkiye, made our country very proud by reaching the finals in the "Best University-Employer Partnership" category of the QS Reimagine Education Awards, among more than 1,500 applications. The finalists were determined through the evaluation of more than 160 jury members, consisting of academics and business people from 72 different universities in 38 countries. The finalist projects were presented on 9 December at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London, United Kingdom, at a conference attended by educators and business people from all over the world. Presenting the project, CO-OP Director Bahri Toper emphasized that throughout the project year they ran an inspiring model of university-business collaboration with innovative practices such as Branded Courses, Reverse Mentoring and Business Point, and that they prepared students for professional life with this unique model. Bahçeşehir University is the only university from Türkiye to reach the finals and represent our country at the conference.

THE CO-OP MODEL IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE

Jack Moran, Program Manager of Reimagine Education, shared his views on the Bahçeşehir University CO-OP program as follows: "One of the founding missions of Reimagine Education is to inspire, guide and create a platform for pedagogies and partnerships that successfully prepare students for a changing and uncertain world of work. If higher education institutions want to succeed in the employability component of their mission, innovative collaboration with industry and the business world is essential. Bahçeşehir University's CO-OP Program is an excellent example of how universities and industry can come together to improve students' employment outcomes. In particular, our Steering Committee expresses its admiration for the creation of credit-bearing Branded Courses that equip students with knowledge about the industries and sectors shaping our world, such as 'Fintech' and 'Automotive 4.0'. We also commend the tangible success they have achieved in placing their students in jobs after graduation through these partnerships. We are proud that they reached the finals and to support such an evidence-based, cutting-edge partnership."