Turkish-Japanese University of Science and Technology Career Development, Employment and Industry Cooperation Center, or TJU Career Center in short, will be structured as a strategic center that supports the career development of students and graduates with a holistic approach, establishes sustainable collaborations between the university and the business world, and strengthens the mobility of qualified human resources between Turkey and Japan. The center will enable students to integrate the academic knowledge and technical skills they have gained throughout their education life with the competencies required by working life; It will contribute to their effective participation in national and international labor markets after graduation.

The vision of TJU Career Center is not limited to creating a traditional career office that helps students find jobs or internships. Centre; It aims to train students as engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs and technology leaders who can plan their professional future, adapt to changing technology and labor market conditions, have the ability to work in different cultures, adhere to ethical values ​​and embrace the understanding of lifelong learning.

In this regard, the Career Center will be one of the main institutional structures where TJU's research, education, innovation, entrepreneurship and internationalization goals meet the business world. The center will also be responsible for monitoring the university's graduate employment performance, transferring employer expectations to academic units, and supporting students' career development through measurable indicators.

The mission of the TJU Career Center is to help students recognize their interests, competencies, personal characteristics and professional goals; In this regard, it is to ensure that they develop realistic, sustainable and internationally competitive career plans. The center will implement a phased career development model that continues from the first year students enter university until after graduation.

In this context, career counseling will be provided to students, internship and applied training opportunities will be created, relations will be developed with companies and research institutions in Türkiye and Japan, and students will be provided with early contact with the business world. Increasing the employability of graduates, facilitating their access to international career opportunities, and informing them about academic career and entrepreneurship options will be among the main responsibilities of the center.

The Career Center will also manage the graduate tracking system, regularly monitor the employment status and career development of graduates, evaluate employer feedback and transfer the obtained data to the university's education, quality assurance and strategic planning processes. Thus, the center will operate not only as a unit providing services to students and graduates, but also as a strategic decision support center that monitors the harmony between the university's educational outcomes and the expectations of the labor market.

TJU Career Center will treat students' career development not as a short-term process that begins in the last year of university education, but as a gradual development process that continues from university entrance until after graduation. An integrated program will be implemented for students starting from the preparatory class, including career awareness, recognition of personal competencies, learning about sectors and professions, gaining practical experience, contacting employers and transition to professional life.

In the first stage, studies will be carried out to help students get to know themselves and determine their interests and strengths. In the following stages, sector promotions, professional meetings, company visits, project studies, short-term observation programs and mentoring activities will be carried out. In the following years of education, students will be supported to participate in internship, research, entrepreneurship, international mobility and job placement programs.

An individual career development file will be created for each student to the extent possible. In this file, the training received by the student, internships attended, project experiences, technical and social competencies, foreign language level, career goals and consultancy meetings will be recorded. In this way, students' career developments can be monitored regularly and the support they need can be personalized.

Individual and group-based career counseling services will be provided to students and graduates by the Career Center. In individual counseling meetings, students' academic knowledge, personal competencies, professional interests and long-term goals will be evaluated together. Students will be helped to determine suitable sectors, professions, postgraduate education options or entrepreneurship paths for themselves.

In the career planning process, instead of directing students only to existing job opportunities, an approach that takes into account new professional fields and technological transformations that may emerge in the future will be adopted. Career trends in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, energy technologies, advanced materials, disaster management, sustainability, defense and aerospace, biotechnology, data science and digital production will be regularly conveyed to students.

Within the scope of competency analysis studies, students' technical knowledge levels, as well as communication, teamwork, leadership, analytical thinking, problem solving, intercultural communication, time management and adaptation skills will be evaluated. When necessary, students will be directed to training and development programs aimed at eliminating their deficiencies in these areas.

Career counseling services will cover different career paths such as academic career, private sector career, public sector, international organizations and entrepreneurship. Students will not be presented with a uniform career model; Each student will be able to evaluate different career options in line with their abilities, preferences and goals.

Applied learning, laboratory studies, project development and industry experience will have an important place in TJU's education model. The Career Center will take an active role in the university-wide coordination of internship and applied training processes in order to ensure that students gain qualified work experience during their education.

A comprehensive internship pool consisting of public institutions, private sector organizations, research centers, technology companies, technopark companies and initiatives in Türkiye and Japan will be created within the center. Internship opportunities will be classified according to students' departments, technical competencies, foreign language levels, career goals and employers' demands.

In internship matching processes, it will not be enough to just forward student applications to companies; A systematic evaluation model will be applied to ensure that students are matched with the right institutions and positions. Before the internship, students will be given preparatory training on occupational health and safety, business ethics, corporate communication, workplace culture, reporting and professional behavior.

During the internship, students' progress will be monitored by university and employer representatives, and student and employer evaluations will be received at the end of the internship. Feedback obtained from employers will be used to determine students' development areas and to evaluate the compatibility of academic programs with the needs of the business world.

Applied trainings, laboratory studies, research projects, industrial design activities and company-based problem solving programs to be held during the summer periods will be coordinated in cooperation with the Career Center and relevant academic units. Students will be encouraged to gain experience not only as interns observing but as active participants taking responsibility for a specific project or task.

It will be aimed to develop collaborations with institutions operating in the fields of technology, defence, automotive, electronics, communications and research in Turkey, such as ASELSAN, TUSAŞ, ROKETSAN, HAVELSAN, TÜBİTAK, TEI, Ford Otosan, Arçelik and Türk Telekom. In Japan, internship and applied training partnerships will be established with companies such as Toyota, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Fujitsu, NEC, Panasonic, Toshiba, Honda and Denso, as well as universities, research institutes, technology centers and innovative initiatives. These lists of institutions will not be exclusive or limiting; It will be constantly expanded in line with student needs and sectoral developments.

Türkiye–Japan Career Program will be designed as one of the most distinctive areas of activity of TJU Career Center. This program, which can be carried out under the name "Japan Career Pathway Program", will aim to facilitate students' access to working and research opportunities in Japanese companies, universities and research institutions.

Within the scope of the program, promotional days will be organized to bring together students with human resources managers and technical teams of Japanese companies. Students will be provided with direct information about sectors, fields of work, recruitment processes, professional expectations and career development models in Japan. Investments of Japan-based companies in Turkey and activities of Turkey-based companies in Japan will also be included in the scope of the program.

In order for students to adapt to Japanese business culture, training will be organized on subjects such as communication in the workplace, hierarchy, teamwork, meeting culture, decision-making processes, time management, understanding of quality, continuous improvement and corporate commitment. Technical Japanese, business Japanese, CV and letter of intent preparation, Japanese job interview, online interview and company exam preparation programs will be implemented.

One of the important components of the program will be the establishment of internship and job placement mechanisms in Japan. In line with the protocols to be made with Japanese companies, it will be aimed to create special internship quotas, new graduate recruitment programs and researcher positions for TJU students. Participation of TJU students in career fairs and university-industry meetings held in Japan will be supported.

The long-term goal of the program is to ensure that a certain number of TJU graduates are employed each year in Japan or in the international operations of Japanese companies. However, the program will not be designed as a unilateral mechanism that directs human resources only to Japan. Mutual mobility opportunities will also be developed for Japanese students and young professionals to work or do internships in technology companies, research centers and startups in Turkey.

The Employer Relations Office, which will be established within the Career Center, will manage the university's relations with the private sector, public institutions, research institutions, professional organizations and international companies in terms of career and employment. The office ensures that relationships with employers do not depend on personal contacts and are short-term; It will enable it to transform into an institutional, measurable and sustainable cooperation model.

While creating an employer network, companies' fields of activity, technology levels, research and development capacities, internship and employment opportunities, international activities and their compatibility with TJU's academic priorities will be taken into account. Multi-dimensional relationships will be established with employers, including internships, recruitment, joint training, project development, mentoring, scholarships, laboratory support, entrepreneurship and research collaborations.

The office will coordinate campus recruitment activities, company promotions, technical interviews, career days, employer presentations and interview organizations. Qualified human resource profiles needed by employers will be analyzed regularly and this information will be shared with relevant faculties, departments and educational support units.

Coordination of industry advisory boards will also be one of the primary duties of the Employer Relations Office. Through these boards, the currentness of academic programs, the competencies of graduates, the future human resource needs of sectors and university-industry cooperation opportunities will be evaluated.

It is aimed to establish active cooperation with at least 300 companies and institutions by 2035, of which at least 100 will be Japan-based companies, universities, research institutions or professional organizations. Active collaboration will be defined not only by signing a protocol, but also by carrying out regular internship, recruitment, training, mentoring, project or event activities.

A comprehensive Professional Development Series will be conducted by the Career Center to complement the technical training of students. These trainings will aim to develop the basic competencies that students will need in working life and to help them adapt to the business environment more quickly after graduation.

Within the scope of business world competencies, training will be organized on effective communication, teamwork, leadership, problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, time management, conflict resolution, presentation techniques and negotiation skills. Training will not be limited to theoretical explanation; It will be carried out through case analyses, simulations, group studies, role plays and company problems.

Within the scope of the digital competencies program, ethical and effective use of artificial intelligence tools, data analytics, digital project management, online collaboration tools, basic coding awareness, cyber security, digital communication and technology trends will be discussed. Students will be supported to become familiar with digital tools related to their discipline and use them in their business processes.

In career preparation training, topics such as preparing a CV in Turkish and English, creating career documents in Japanese, writing a motivation letter, using LinkedIn and other professional platforms, job ad analysis, interview techniques, online interview, technical interview, case study and preparation for evaluation center applications will be covered.

Not only the participation numbers of the students participating in the programs, but also their pre- and post-training competency development will be measured. Students who complete certain training series will be given a digital badge or certificate and these achievements will be recorded in their student profiles on the TJU Career Portal.

TJU Career and Employment Fair will be planned as an annual international career, technology and innovation event. Fair; It will bring together Turkish and Japanese companies, technology companies, public institutions, research institutions, venture capital funds, technopark companies, startups and professional organizations with students and graduates.

The event will not be a classic career fair where only job and internship postings are shared. Company presentations, technical sessions, sectoral panels, technology demonstrations, project exhibitions, quick interviews, career workshops, entrepreneur-investor meetings and student project competitions will be among the basic components of the fair.

By creating a special "Japan Career Zone" for Japanese companies, students will be provided with direct information about career opportunities, recruitment processes and working conditions in Japan. Online participation, hybrid interview and digital stand opportunities will be available for companies and institutions participating from Japan.

The long-term goal of TJU Career and Innovation Fair is to become the first comprehensive Turkey-Japan Career and Technology Fair held in Turkey and to create an international platform that regularly brings together the human resources, research, technology and entrepreneurship ecosystems of the two countries.

The Alumni Relations Office, which will operate within the Career Center, will ensure that the relationship between TJU graduates and the university continues after graduation. Graduates' career development, contributions to the university and their communication with each other will be supported in a systematic structure.

An up-to-date and reliable graduate database will be created by the center. The institutions where graduates work, their fields of duty, their sectors, the countries they live in, their postgraduate education, entrepreneurial activities and career development will be monitored within the framework of legislation and ethical principles regarding the protection of personal data.

Through the alumni network, TJU graduates working in different countries and sectors will be able to meet with students. Graduates will be able to contribute to mentoring programs, career interviews, creation of internship and job opportunities, support of student projects and promotional activities of the university.

Alumni success stories will be made visible and role models will be created for students. The experiences of graduates who have undertaken important positions in Turkey, Japan and other countries will be shared through the university's communication channels. Alumni meetings, regional meetings, online networking events and alumni-student meetings will be held regularly.

In the graduate tracking system, indicators such as graduates' employment rates in the first six months and the first year, the time it takes to find a job, the sectors they work in, salary ranges, postgraduate education attendance rates, international employment rates, and job and education satisfaction will be monitored. The results obtained will be presented to the university management and relevant academic units in the form of annual graduate employment reports.

TJU Career Center will not be a structure that focuses only on private sector employment. An Academic Career and Graduate Support Office will be established for students who want to advance in academic careers and research. The office will help students make informed decisions about their graduate, doctoral, research and academic options.

Students will be provided with consultancy about postgraduate programs, admission requirements, application calendars, research areas and scholarship opportunities in Türkiye, Japan and other countries. Support will be provided in preparing a research proposal, creating an academic CV, writing a letter of intent, managing reference processes and preparing for academic interviews.

Special information and preparation programs will be organized for students who want to apply to Japanese universities and research institutions. Up-to-date information will be provided about scholarship programs, research funds, laboratory facilities and consultancy systems in Japan.

The office will work in close collaboration with research centers, laboratories, graduate programs and scientific research projects at TJU. Students will be encouraged to participate in research projects, present papers at academic conferences, take part in publications and become involved in international research networks, starting from the undergraduate period.

A strong integration will be established between the Career Center and TJU Technopark, technology transfer units, research centers and incubation programs. The Entrepreneurship and Startup Support Unit will support students to consider entrepreneurship among their career options and to transform technology-based business ideas into viable ventures.

The unit will organize training on entrepreneurship awareness, business model development, customer verification, market analysis, intellectual property, financial planning, incorporation, investment processes and team building. Workshop programs and startup acceleration activities will be carried out where students and graduates can develop their business ideas.

By organizing business idea and technology entrepreneurship competitions, the prototype development, mentoring, incubation and meeting with investors processes of successful projects will be supported. By establishing connections between the entrepreneurship ecosystems in Turkey and Japan, students will be provided with access to technoparks, acceleration programs and investment networks in the two countries.

The main purpose of this unit is to contribute to the development of students not only as individuals applying for existing jobs, but also as entrepreneurs who create employment and economic value by developing new technologies, products and services.

TJU Career Portal will be developed as an integrated digital career platform for students, alumni, employers, academic units and career counselors. The platform will increase the accessibility of the services offered by the Career Center and enable data-based management of career processes.

Through the platform, students will be able to access job, internship, part-time work, research assistantship, project, scholarship and academic opportunity postings. Career counseling appointments can be made online, training and event applications can be made, and students' participation histories can be tracked.

Through the mentor matching system, students, graduates, academics and industry professionals will be matched according to certain criteria. Students' career profiles, CVs, technical competencies, foreign language levels, project experiences, certificates and career goals will be kept securely on the platform.

Employers will be able to publish advertisements, access appropriate student and alumni profiles, and apply for campus events through their assigned corporate accounts. All transactions will be carried out within the framework of personal data protection, information security, open consent and equal access principles.

The data produced on the platform will be used to analyze students' utilization rates of career services, internship and job placement results, employer demands and graduate development. However, personal data of students or graduates will not be shared with third parties without their explicit consent.

Different mentoring programs will be carried out by the Career Center based on student-alumni, student-sector professional and student-academician pairings. The aim of mentoring programs is to ensure that students receive regular guidance from experienced individuals and evaluate their career decisions in the light of real working life experiences.

Türkiye-Japan Career Mentoring Program will be established with the participation of professionals working in Japanese companies or academic institutions in Japan. Within the scope of this program, students will be able to obtain direct information about Japanese business culture, technical areas of expertise, international career planning and living conditions in Japan.

Mentors and students will be matched taking into account their interests, professional goals, sector preferences, foreign language levels and areas of expertise. The objectives of the program, meeting frequency, ethical principles and performance criteria will be determined in advance; Regular feedback will be received from participants.

TJU Career Center will operate with a specialized and service-oriented organizational structure compatible with the strategic goals of the university. The Career Center Manager will be responsible for the management of the center; The director will carry out the center's strategic plan, annual activity program, budget, personnel management and in-house coordination.

The Career Development Unit will be responsible for individual and group career counseling, competency assessment, career planning and professional development training. The Employer Relations Unit will manage relationships with companies and institutions, campus recruitment activities, career fairs and industry advisory boards.

The Internship and Experiential Learning Unit will coordinate the creation of the internship pool, student-employer matching, applied training, company projects and internship evaluation processes. The Japan Career Programs Unit will be responsible for the Japan Career Pathway Program, relations with Japanese companies, Japanese business culture training, and internship and employment processes in Japan.

The Alumni Relations Unit will manage the alumni database, alumni tracking system, alumni events and mentoring networks. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Unit will carry out entrepreneurship trainings, business idea competitions, investor meetings and orientation activities to incubation programs in cooperation with Technopark and relevant university units.

The Academic Career and Graduate Support Office will provide services to students aiming for research and academic careers. The Digital Platform and Data Analytics function will be responsible for the management of the TJU Career Portal, analysis of career data, reporting and performance monitoring processes.

A Career and Industry Advisory Board can be established within the center with the participation of company representatives, academicians, public institution representatives, graduates and student representatives from Türkiye and Japan. The Board will evaluate the activities of the center and develop recommendations in line with changing labor market conditions.

The activities of the Career Center will not be carried out independently of the academic and administrative units of the university; Close coordination will be ensured with faculties, institutes, research centers, student affairs, international relations, technopark, technology transfer units and student support units.

An academic career coordinator may be assigned in each academic unit to ensure communication with the Career Center. These coordinators will convey students' sectoral needs, internship processes, employer demands and department-specific career activities to the center.

Alumni and employer feedback will be used in the development of academic programs. Annual employment, internship, competency and employer expectations reports prepared by the Career Center will be used in program evaluation and quality assurance processes.

Career Center services will be provided in line with the principles of equality and inclusion, without discrimination between students and graduates. Necessary arrangements will be made to ensure that disabled students, international students, students in need of economic support and groups that may experience disadvantages in accessing career opportunities can effectively benefit from the services.

It will be ensured that job and internship announcements are not discriminatory, that students are not used as unpaid or unqualified labor, and that working conditions comply with the relevant legislation. In cooperation with employers, the principles of professional ethics, occupational health and safety, protection of personal data and equal opportunities will be taken as basis.

The success of the Career Center will not be measured only by the number of events organized or participants. Students' competency development, internship quality, graduate employment results, employer satisfaction, international career mobility and long-term career development of graduates will be evaluated together.

An annual activity and performance report will be prepared by the center. The report will include indicators such as the number of students receiving career counseling, internship placements, number of active employers, organized training and events, job and internship postings, participation in Japan programs, graduate employment rates and entrepreneurial activities.

Employer, student and graduate satisfaction surveys will be conducted regularly; The findings will be used to improve services. If the set targets are not achieved, a cause analysis will be conducted and corrective actions will be developed.

TJU Career Center will aim to have at least 90 percent of graduates employed, starting graduate studies or establishing their own enterprise within the first six months of graduation by 2035. While calculating this rate, different career paths will be monitored separately and it will be evaluated whether the graduates work in positions suitable for their qualifications.

It is envisaged that the total number of TJU graduates working in Japan or in the international operations of Japanese companies will be increased to over 200. It is aimed to include at least 300 companies and institutions in the university's active employer network, and at least 100 organizations among its active Japanese business partners.

It is aimed to increase annual internship and applied training placements to over 1,000, at least 80 percent of students will benefit from individual or group-based career counseling services throughout their education, and the number of active alumni network members will exceed 5,000.

will be reviewed and supported by five-year implementation plans. It will be ensured that the targets reflect not only quantitative growth but also service quality, internationalization and sustainable collaborations.

The most unique and distinctive component of the TJU Career Center will be the Türkiye-Japan career transition system, which can be configured under the name "Japan Career Gateway". This structure will be designed as an integrated platform where Japanese companies can directly access TJU students and graduates, and students can access internship, employment, graduate education and research opportunities in Japan through a single corporate channel.

Through the Japan Career Gateway, Japanese companies will be able to consider TJU as a strategic talent pool that provides access to qualified engineers, researchers and technology experts in Türkiye and surrounding countries. Companies will be able to contact students at the early stages of their education, organize technical seminars and project work, develop internship programs and include suitable graduates in recruitment processes.

Students will be able to participate in special programs that combine Japanese language education with business culture, technical terminology, industry knowledge and career preparation. Japanese education should not remain only an academic language program; It will be transformed into a career competence that strengthens access to internship, research and employment opportunities.

Within the scope of Gateway, joint career programs, online interview days, joint certificate trainings, mutual internship programs and graduate job placement mechanisms will be developed with universities, research institutes and companies in Japan. TJU graduates working in Japan will also provide support to new graduates as mentors and representatives of the system.

Japan Career Gateway will be a strategic system that supports mutual human resources, information and technology mobility between Türkiye and Japan, rather than a one-way job placement mechanism. Thus, TJU is not just a university that provides graduates for Japanese companies; It will become a long-term partner offering talent development, research, technology production and intercultural working capacity.

TJU Center for Career Development, Employment and Industry Collaboration; It will be a strategic structure that enables students to consciously plan their careers, gain qualified applied experiences, meet the business world and research ecosystem early, and access national and international career opportunities after graduation.

It is envisaged that the center will integrate career counseling, internship, employer relations, graduate tracking, academic career, entrepreneurship, digital career services and Japan programs under the same corporate roof. Thanks to this structure, a strong and sustainable relationship will be established between the university's educational outcomes and the expectations of the labor market.

The Japan Career Gateway model will differentiate TJU Career Center from classical university career centers. This model will increase the mobility of qualified human resources between Turkey and Japan, provide Japanese companies with direct access to TJU students, and facilitate the preparation of graduates for work and research opportunities in Japan.

In this respect, TJU Career Center is not only a support unit that helps students find jobs; It will be one of the basic institutional structures that manage the university's graduate success, international visibility, industrial relations and social impact. In the long term, the center will aim to be one of the strategic meeting points of the Türkiye-Japan human resources, research, technology and innovation ecosystem.