Exploring English, Skills and Employability: Industry, Alumni and Academia

The State of English in Higher Education to Be Explored
on Our Campus in Cooperation With
British Council and Özyeğin University
 
British Council, in collaboration with Özyeğin University, will seal its ongoing symposium series with a final conference on 'Exploring English, Skills and Employability: Industry, Alumni and Academia’. The series were commenced following the publication of British Council’s report “The State of English in Higher Education” in November 2015. The closing conference will take place on the Çekmeköy Campus on February 17, 2017 and will start off with the opening address delivered by our Rector Prof. Dr. Esra Gençtürk. The conference seeks to analyze the key issues and needs identified by the business world in foreign language instruction in higher education in Turkey.
 
The one-day event will bring university rectors and faculty members together with the representatives of the business world. The event is is intended to provide a platform to discuss the findings and recommendations pertaining to the state of English in higher education in Turkey with prominent stakeholders from the industry, alumni and academia.
 
British Council published its report “The State of English in Higher Education in Turkey” on November 25, 2015. One of the most comprehensive studies ever undertaken in Turkey so far, the survey was conducted with 38 universities in 15 cities.   The  research  employed  a  range  of    quantitative and qualitative methods from questionnaires and observation to structured interviews and focus groups in order to provide an analysis of the challenges faced by teachers and learners of English in higher education institutions across Turkey. The questionnaires were completed by 400 English teachers and 4,300 students, and 65 lessons were observed in total, while more than 350 teachers and over 72 senior managers took part in the focus groups. 
 
You may find the report  in the following link. 
http://www.britishcouncil.org.tr/en/teach/elt-publications/he-research
 
 
Following the report, British Council held three important events in three metropolises in Turkey with different stakeholders to discuss the recommendations for improving the current state of English in higher education in Turkey.
 
British Council was also invited to universities by rectors and directors of the schools of foreign language to provide support and guidance about how to overcome the challenges faced in the teaching of English.
 
British Council opened its event in Ankara in November 2015 with the representatives of the Higher Education Council of Turkey. The event was organized to share the key recommendations in the report, and included a series of panels aimed at increasing the overall quality of English language instruction in higher education. The event in Ankara featured distinguished participants including the President of the Higher Education Council of Turkey, university rectors, the directors of the schools of foreign language, international agencies and the UK-based publishing houses.
 
 
British Council’s second event took place at the Istanbul Technical University in February 2016 with more than 450 participants. The second event offered an opportunity to university rectors to share their opinions about how to overcome the challenges faced in the current system, while teachers and students had the chance to express the challenges they face due to foreign language policies in higher education.
 
In May 2016, a third event was held at Ege University to explore and discuss the impact of the report on teachers and students. The third event focused on the effects of the new regulations on the state of English in higher education (EMI) and EMI teachers.
 
The final event will take place at Özyeğin University on February 17, 2017 with all stakeholders. The event intends to bring together speakers and guests from industry, academia and alumni to understand what employers are looking for as far as English skills are concerned and how they can collaborate with universities to ensure these expectations are met, and how the current English curriculum in universities can be improved to enhance the employability prospects of their graduates. Recommendations derived from the discussions will be shared with the Higher Education Council of Turkey, universities, TÜSİAD and other relevant stakeholders.