WHAT IS COOPERATIVE EDUCATION AND WHAT KINDS OF BENEFITS DOES IT PROVIDE?

Cooperative Education (CO-OP), also known as YTU KOOP Education Model, is an innovative form of traditional internship that has been redefined. Cooperative Education, which is often confused with internship, aims to develop cooperation between the university and the business world. In this context, the point that should be underlined is that the internship in certain programs cannot offer the advantages CO-OP provides to the students. Only top students can do CO-OP and this program relies on a voluntary basis. 

In CO-OP model, the university introduces students who wants to work as if s/he is a regular employee even before graduating in an appropriate sector that fits to the student's department. The business entity (the employer) helps the student to gain real experience in a work environment and prepares students for the business life ahead of th student during the CO-OP semester. According to some researchers and their research on this topic, the rate of acceptance to a job where the candidate completed a semester in the business entiry as a CO-OP is very high. This is possible as the employer spends a full semester with that CO-OP student before hiring procedure. In summary, the purpose of COP is to strengthen the bond between the university and the business world by internalizing it organically.

WHY CO-OP?

1.     Employers

a. Having a broader and more qualified candidate employee list for HR requirements,

b. To contribute directly to the workforce by incorporating successful students who want to do CO-OP .

2.     Student

a. Gaining experience in the business field before graduating,

b. Reinforcing theoretical knowledge with practice during this period,

c. To increase employment opportunities after gradution by networking.

3.     University

a. To act as a bridge between the business world and the student,

b. As a result of this establishment, to provide neccessary settings to its students for gaining experience before graduation and also offer employment opportunities to the employers,

c. To provide a common understanding between theory and practice in an innovative way,

d. To increase the competition between universities by providing more job opportunities to the students.