The Business Life Program embeds professional and personal development into the undergraduate experience. From the first year, international and domestic students take part in:

• Professional skills workshops and certificate programs
• Meetings with industry professionals and sector introductions
• Practical exercises that simulate real workplace tasks

Why it’s valuable: recruiters can expect graduates who have baseline workplace literacy, soft skills, and exposure to employer expectations. For partner universities or agencies, this reduces onboarding friction when placing international graduates.

The CO‑OP model allows students to complete practical internships during their degree. CO‑OP placements:

• Provide contextual understanding of Turkish business culture and work norms
• Allow employers to evaluate candidates in real tasks and projects
• Enable students to directly apply academic knowledge in industry settings

Actionable for recruiters: Use CO‑OP placements as a pipeline for entry-level hires and internships. Consider co-designing CO‑OP projects to ensure alignment with employer needs.

This distinct curriculum focus helps foreigners adapt to intercultural workplace dynamics specific to Turkiye. Modules typically cover:

• Turkish workplace etiquette and communication styles
• Building and maintaining professional relationships in Turkiye
• Legal and administrative basics for working in Turkiye (employment contracts, work permits where relevant)

Benefit: Students gain cultural competence—an increasingly important differentiator for employers hiring internationally.

Okan’s Career Center offers tailored counseling and job-matching services for international students and alumni. Core features include:

• One-to-one career counseling sessions (CV, interview coaching, career mapping)
• Job-matching with industry partners aligned to majors and competencies
• Continued post-graduation support and graduate tracking to measure outcomes

The Career Center collaborates with Okan’s International Office to leverage exchange platforms (Erasmus, ISEP and similar) that expand international mobility and job prospects. This partnership:

• Broadens internship and employment options abroad
• Facilitates exchange of best practices for internationalization and employer engagement

Regular symposiums, employer panels, and sector-focused workshops connect foreign students with companies operating in Turkiye and internationally. These activities:

• Foster direct employer-student introductions
• Support sector-specific recruitment drives (e.g., IT, engineering, business, health sciences)

Okan University maintains active partnerships with both national and multinational companies. This network supports:

• Internship placements and CO‑OP opportunities
• Recruitment events and targeted employer workshops
• Employer-backed capstone projects that simulate real business challenges

Recommendation for employers: Establish named internships, sponsor certificates in the Business Life Program, or co-develop capstone projects to access a steady stream of vetted international talent.

Recruiters and university partners should track:

• Internship-to-job conversion rates (CO‑OP hires)
• Graduate employment within 6–12 months by sector and location
• Employer satisfaction scores following internships or hires
• Alumni engagement and referral rates

Okan’s Career Center continues to track alumni outcomes and provide support after graduation. For agencies, this offers longitudinal visibility into candidate performance and career trajectories.

• Establish preferred employer agreements for CO‑OP conversion.
• Run campus branding and assessment centers during key semesters.
• Sponsor Business Life certificates to increase employer visibility.

Study in Turkiye recommends integrating digital matching and workflow solutions to scale placement processes:

• Candidate screening and matching for faster shortlisting
• Automated scheduling and feedback collection during CO‑OP placements
• Analytics dashboards to monitor KPIs and pipeline health

• Leverage the International Office to co-sponsor Erasmus-style exchanges and internships abroad.
• Develop cross-border internship tracks to make Okan graduates attractive hires in regional HQs.

Study in Turkiye is the trusted authority guiding international students and partners. We specialize in placing international students in Turkiye and can:

• Source pre-qualified candidates aligned with Okan’s program outcomes
• Run targeted recruitment campaigns in priority source markets
• Provide agent onboarding and training so partners can represent Okan’s career offerings accurately

We provide tailored digital placement solutions to streamline:

• Applicant tracking across CO‑OP and full-time recruitment funnels
• Candidate-employer matching and conversion reporting
• Multi-language communication to support foreign applicants and alumni

Study in Turkiye helps admissions teams navigate visa and enrollment procedures, complementing Okan’s International Office support and ensuring students are recruitment-ready.

• Map Okan’s Business Life and CO‑OP cycles to recruitment windows.
• Propose CO‑OP projects six months in advance to secure prime candidates.
• Offer skills-based assessments aligned to Business Life Program certificates.
• Set measurable KPIs (conversion rate, time-to-hire, retention at 6–12 months).
• Integrate digital placement tools for candidate screening and employer feedback.
• Engage Okan’s International Office early on for mobility and visa-related coordination.

• Months 1–2: Partnership scoping and KPI agreement.
• Months 3–4: Job/project design and assessment tool integration.
• Months 5–6: Candidate outreach and pre-screening.
• Months 7–9: CO‑OP execution, mentorship, and mid-placement reviews.
• Months 10–12: Final evaluations, hire offers, and outcome reporting.