Bekir S. Gür, PhD

Excited to share that Ahmet Şahin Ata and I just published “Beyond degrees: The complex interplay of youth unemployment and a rising supply of engineering graduates in an emerging economy,” in the European Journal of Engineering Education!
Focusing specifically on Türkiye, this study uses a mixed-method exploratory design, drawing insights from interviews with 56 participants and a survey of 1,243 unemployed engineers, to explore the critical link between engineering education and graduate employability.
Our findings reveal several systemic challenges within the current system:
* A disconnect between theoretical curricula and industry needs.
* Insufficient practical education and industry-relevant capstone projects.
* Assessment methods often encouraging rote learning over practical skills.
* Shortages in quality faculty impacting educational delivery.
These factors contribute to many engineering graduates lacking essential technical and professional competencies for the labor market.
To address this, our paper proposes actionable recommendations, including modernizing curricula with problem-based learning, strengthening university-industry collaboration, enhancing faculty resources, standardizing assessments, and reviewing admission standards.
For the full analysis and detailed recommendations for improving engineering graduate preparedness in Türkiye, read the article via ResearchGate.

#EngineeringEducation #YouthUnemployment #Türkiye #HigherEducation