The world of business, industry, and education came together at the panel held in Bursa by Bahçeşehir University (BAU). Speaking at the panel, BAU Global President Enver Yücel said, "Universities should tailor the industry", while Uludağ Exporters' Association President Baran Çelik made important statements about the future of the automotive industry.
Organized by Bahçeşehir University, 'Where is the World Changing Towards?' titled panel was held with the participation of important names from the business world. Participants of the event held in Bursa, which is accepted as the capital of automotive, were: KALDER Board Member Emin Direkçi, Uludağ Exporters' Association President Baran Çelik, BAU Global President Enver Yücel, BAU Rector Prof. Dr. Şirin Karadeniz, BAU TTO Office Director Nil Girgin and News Program producer and presenter Cem Seymen attended. While the panel continued with a special session after the lectern speeches, the general situation of the industry, problems, and solutions was discussed in the session. It was also mentioned that Bahçeşehir University will provide many opportunities such as training camps, workshops, and certificates in terms of support for private companies.
BAU Business Development and Bursa Center Director Yasemin Şahin made the opening speech of the meeting. Stating that the sector will work as a center where information can be obtained in every sense, Şahin said, “We have redesigned the university-industry cooperation. We will look for answers to the question “Where is the world-changing towards?” by listening to our valuable guests in our panel. I would especially like to state that our university is with you in your development and change processes related to these issues and that we are ready for cooperation in any field you need support. We are at your side with our communication-based boutique service and cooperation model. It is in the hands of everyone in this hall to redefine the concept of university and industry cooperation and to fill it with action steps and collaborations determined in the direction of adapting to the changing world. I sincerely believe that with the collaborations we will develop together, we will carry out works that are pointed out, create value, inspire and set an example.”
Underlining that especially with the pandemic our life and the way we do business has changed considerably, BAU Rector Prof. Dr. Şirin Karadeniz said, “We were talking about digital transformation before the pandemic too and we are experiencing a green transformation with the Paris agreement. We are going through a metamorphosis and we need to be aware of it. We need to create a puzzle by switching to a different system regarding the methods of working together. It doesn't matter anymore that universities apply old curricula that are closed to their campuses. It would be wrong to exist only with a diploma, and we would deceive the student who received education for 4 years. That's why we need to teach by transforming education. Bahçeşehir Uğur Educational Institutions is an institution that can apply this metamorphosis system to education. We are a university that can quickly switch to distance education and then hybrid education during the pandemic. The COOP education model, in which the industry is inside a university, is important for us. We can help students transition into business life, and we also support the academic infrastructure of people in the sector. In other words, we are a university that can do collaborative work together with the industry and experience it.”
Referring to the contribution of education to the sector, BAU Global President Enver Yücel emphasized the importance of change and said; “The first place where Bahçeşehir College was opened outside of Istanbul is Bursa. Bursa loves us, we love Bursa. Currently, more than 800 students are studying at Bahçeşehir University across Bursa. We also graduated more. Therefore, we are also from Bursa now. The world is going somewhere, it is changing, and we are seeing this change. We need to adapt to the world in every field from science to art. If we can't adapt, we'll be left behind. When you look at the production in Bursa, a very important part of Turkey's exports are made in Bursa and we, as a university, cannot stay distant from Bursa at this point. We want to be the pioneer of change and transformation here.”
Underlining that the more intertwined universities are with the sectors, the more beneficial they will be to production, Yücel said, “The role of the university is not just about teaching knowledge and science to its students. It is also concerned with the issues of society in the industry. For this reason, in developed countries of the world, especially in America, curricula are made with the sector. Otherwise, I am raising an Industrial Engineer, I am raising an electrical and electronics engineer as well. The industry went to another place, our students learned different things and saw other things. This won't happen. There are nearly 200 universities in Turkey, these universities should be more intertwined with the industry and you. They even have to tailor the industry. Universities need to train the workforce according to your wishes, in the field you work in the industry. We also made a system called CO-OP. Afterward, we first started a course under the name of Mercedes. The lecturers were Mercedes' senior and mid-level representatives, its manager, its connoisseur. In other words, if the university is elsewhere, the sector is elsewhere and Turkey cannot establish this system within itself, it will be a shame for higher education. Turkey needs to establish this as soon as possible. As a university, we need to support you. We are making these programs in some big industrial cities with the chambers of commerce, industry chambers, and associations of that region.”
Uludağ Automotive Industry Exporters' Association President Baran Çelik made important predictions of the sector, "The Automotive Industry and Exporters Association is Turkey's export champion for the last 15 years. Bursa is the capital city of the automotive industry. The biggest indicator of this is the Automotive Industry and Exporters Association. We are an association representing the entire automotive industry in Turkey. We have a total of 7 thousand 800 exporters. We export over 30 billion dollars annually. This is 6/1 of Turkey's exports.” He added, saying: “Turkey and the world are faced with such a risk, especially the transformation of electric and autonomous driving is coming quickly. It started in the 2010s, but with the pandemic, it progresses by jumping, not linearly. As a result, it shows that some of the products and technologies required to produce a car will disappear, some will remain constant or will change, and some will increase. In the next ten years, nearly 300,000 new jobs will be created for new business lines that will emerge from this transformation in Europe. But unfortunately, the employment of 500,000 people will also decrease. This need will be met by the new generation students who are working on high-tech products, trained by educational institutions, and who design the future.”
Opportunities within the scope of cooperation with companies will be offered, such as; graduate programs, corporate training, certificate programs, panels, workshops, COOP collaborations, joint training, TTO Collaborations, R&D studies, BAUSEM training, research centers, CIFAL supports, branded courses, reverse mentoring, BAUGO, weekend training camps, an experience transfer program, overseas graduate support.
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