505 Businesses Sign Cooperative Education and Internship Collaboration Protocol with Our University

Aydın Adnan Menderes University signed Cooperative Education (IME) and Internship Collaboration Protocols with leading businesses and professional organizations in the tourism and accommodation sector. The signing ceremony, held on 30 July 2026 in the University Senate Hall under the theme “Stronger Tomorrows Through University–Industry Collaboration,” aims to strengthen students’ professional knowledge and skills through industry experience, expand hands-on learning opportunities, and support graduate employability.

The collaboration brings together accommodation and tourism businesses, primarily from the Didim and Bodrum regions. Covering 505 businesses, it represents the University's most comprehensive industry partnership in the field of tourism to date.

Emphasizing Aydın’s significance as a major tourism destination, Rector Prof. Dr. Bülent Kent stated that university–industry collaboration plays a vital role in students’ professional development and in educating a highly qualified workforce. He noted that enhancing the quality of practical education, particularly through the 3+1 Cooperative Education Model, will enable students to gain valuable industry experience and significantly improve their employability after graduation. Rector Kent also highlighted that sustainable cooperation among the public sector, the University, and private industry will contribute both to regional development and to the more effective utilization of Aydın’s tourism potential.

Following the speeches, collaboration protocols covering Cooperative Education (IME) and internship processes were signed with 505 businesses operating in various sectors.

Within the framework of the 3+1 Cooperative Education Model implemented by Didim Vocational School, students will complete three semesters of theoretical education at the University before spending their final semester in full-time workplace training at partner businesses. This model will allow students to gain real-world professional experience before graduation while enabling participating companies to identify and recruit qualified talent at an early stage.

As part of the protocol, each partner business will be provided with a corporate account on the University’s online Cooperative Education (IME) Platform. Through this platform, businesses will be able to publish internship and workplace training opportunities, review student applications and résumés, and conduct online interviews.

The signed protocols aim to provide students with opportunities to apply their theoretical knowledge in professional settings, enhance their vocational competencies, contribute to the training of the qualified workforce required by the industry, and further strengthen sustainable university–industry collaboration.