‘Career’ fund for IUE students by the British Council

Izmir University of Economics (IUE), which aims to provide the best career opportunities to its students by providing them with the skills sought by the business world, received a grant of 22 thousand pounds from the British Council, a UK-based international arts, culture and education organization. IUE became one of the 3 universities in Turkey that qualified to receive a grant this year within the scope of the ‘Connect4Innovation’ project.

The project, led by Asst. Prof. Dr. Donald Staub, ​​Director of IUE School of Foreign Languages, will be completed in two years. Within the scope of the project, the curricula of the departments will be examined and what needs to be done to further increase the preference of students by the business world will be determined. In addition, students will be provided various trainings on micro competencies such as problem solving skills, leadership qualities and team work.

A THOROUGH EXAMINATION

Stating that the funding support would be used for the benefit of the students in the best way, Asst. Prof. Dr. Donald Staub said, “The British Council created a grant program called ‘Connect4Innovation’ to support institutional partnerships between higher education institutions in Turkey and the UK. The British Council is very meticulous when determining the universities that will benefit from this grant. It looks at the university's projects, its vision, the opportunities it offers to its students, its communication with the business world and whether it can fulfill its commitments. It carries out a thorough examination on many issues. Our university was deemed sufficient in all these criteria and showed its difference. As a result, it received the grant.”

WE MUST OFFER THE BEST

Staub continued as follows: “The aim of this project is to increase the competencies of young people by examining the gap between the skills employers are looking for and the skills students have when they graduate. In this way, to ensure that we offer the best career opportunities to students. Learning outcomes at the course and program level at our university will be analyzed. This data will be matched with the demands and expectations in job postings. In addition, all these data will be examined through employer focus groups organized by the Izmir Chamber of Commerce. IUE graduates attract attention with their high employment rates and success in the international arena, making us proud. However, today we see that digitalization is increasing, there is rapid change, and new job descriptions are being formed. For this reason, we always want the best for our students and want to provide them with the best conditions. We are renewing ourselves. The communication we have with the British Council and the grant we have received are concrete indicators of this.”