ON-THE-JOB TRAINING PROGRAM
What is the Workplace Vocational Training Program?
The Workplace Vocational Training (WVT) program enables students who meet the necessary requirements to spend the final semester of their academic program at workplaces or institutions, thereby gaining practical skills based on the knowledge they have acquired during their studies. This program is implemented under the name “Co-op Education” at many of the world’s leading universities.
It can be thought of as a long-term internship. However, it has many distinct features and advantages compared to an internship. First of all, this program is not mandatory; participation is based on the student’s choice. Furthermore, in terms of duration and content, students perform their duties as engineers rather than as interns. In addition, another key difference is that students work not at companies they have contacted on their own, but at leading companies in the industry that have formal agreements with the university.
Objective
The purpose of this program is to facilitate students’ transition from academia to the professional world and to enhance university-industry integration.
It also aims to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and establish themselves in the professional environment where they will practice their profession, thereby helping them get a head start in their careers.
How Does It Work?
Through cooperation agreements signed between our faculty and leading companies in the sector, these companies allocate quotas each year for students participating in this program. Students who apply are placed with these companies by the department, taking into account their preferences and the availability of quotas.
A list of companies that have signed protocols with the Faculty of Shipbuilding and Maritime Studies and IME is available on the faculty and cooperative education coordinator’s websites:
http://www.koop.yildiz.edu.tr/sayfa/KOOP-a-Dahil-Fakülteler/Gemi-İnşaatı-ve-Denizcilik-Fakültesi/366
Students spend their 8th semester at this workplace. By working in various departments, they develop their practical and engineering skills. They gain the opportunity to advance their professional competence and prove themselves. They also have the chance to meet different people in the industry and expand their professional network.
Students carry out the IME program under the supervision of a faculty member designated by the department. The supervising faculty member visits the workplace at regular intervals. They observe the student’s activities on-site. Students report their activities to the supervising faculty member on a weekly or monthly basis using a form.
At the end of the semester, the student gives a presentation to a committee composed of representatives from the workplace and the department, describing the work they carried out at the workplace throughout the semester.
Who can apply?
IME appears in the department’s curriculum as two elective courses totaling 6 credits in the 8th semester. For students who meet the requirements, the application process and subsequent procedures are conducted through the YTU KOOP automation system: https://kariyer.yildiz.edu.tr/giris
Students eligible to participate in the program register for the courses “Professional Training in the Workplace I” and “Professional Training in the Workplace II” through the OBS system during the course selection period.
IME is considered equivalent to various courses and internships. These courses are listed in the table below.
Table 1: IME Equivalent Course Table
Course Code | Course Name |
GIM1002 | Workshop Internship
|
GIM2532 / GIM2522 | (Elective Internship 1) (GIM2532 Shipyard Internship / GIM2522 Small Boat Production Internship) |
GIM3512 / GIM3522 / GIM3542 | Elective Internship 2 (GIM3512 Design Office Internship / GIM3522 Classification Society Internship / GIM3542 Maritime Operations Internship) |
GIM4392 / GIM4852 | Elective-11 (GIM4392 Engineering Economics / GIM4852 Special Propulsion Systems) |
GIM4822 / GIM4882 | Elective-13 (GIM4822 Yacht and Pleasure Craft Design / GIM4882 International Maritime Conventions) |
Applicants are expected to have completed all courses for which they are responsible in the curriculum—or to commit to completing them before starting the program—except for courses deemed equivalent and those permitted to be taken remotely in conjunction with IME. Courses permitted to be taken remotely in conjunction with IME are listed in the table below.
Table 2 Courses That Can Be Taken in Conjunction with IME
Course Code | Course Title |
GIM4000 | Capstone Project |
GIM3432 | Ship Design |
GIM3422 | Yacht Design |
GIM4411 | Ship Main Engine Design |
GIM4421 | Auxiliary Marine Machinery Design |
In summary, a student who has completed their coursework but has not yet completed their internships and thesis/projects may apply to the IME program. The IME program counts as fulfillment of the internship requirements as outlined in the tables above. Students may complete their theses and projects remotely in conjunction with the IME program.
Upon successful completion of the IME program, students will have also completed the courses/internships listed in Table 1; if they successfully complete the projects listed in Table 2, they will be eligible for graduation.
Students who have successfully completed a portion of the courses/internships listed in Table 1 and Table 2 may also apply to the IME program.
How to Apply?
The program schedule is announced on the YTU KOOP website. It is also announced on the department’s website prior to the semester application deadlines.
Applications to the program and subsequent processes are conducted through the YTU Koop automation system: https://kariyer.yildiz.edu.tr/giris
Applications are reviewed by the department, and eligible students are approved. Students then submit their preferences through the automation system. Based on these preferences, companies conduct online interviews with the students. Students whose applications are also approved by the company are eligible to participate in the program. If the company does not approve the application, the process moves to the second preference period, and students conduct interviews with companies from their subsequent preferences.
In accordance with the academic calendar, students begin working at the company at the start of the semester. They work full-time at the company. The program concludes at the end of the semester.
Additional information regarding the IME is available on the YTU Koop Coordination Office website: