Istanbul Gelisim University (IGU) Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design has signed a highly significant corporate collaboration as part of its vision to strengthen academic quality processes and educational infrastructure. The AQAS accreditation process, which is meticulously carried out by our department and ensures the registration of our educational standards at an international level, foresees the continuous improvement of the physical and academic facilities offered to our students. In this context, the goal of "meeting the workshop facilities needed for applied courses through external stakeholders," which was explicitly committed by our department in the relevant accreditation report, has been successfully concluded as a result of contacts established with important representatives of the sector.
Within this framework, the meticulous studies and detailed negotiations that have been carried out for a long time between the Rectorate of Istanbul Gelisim University, the Head of the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, Asst. Prof. İbrahim Erol, and the Board of Directors of S.S. Istanbul Anatolian Side Carpentry and Furniture Makers Site Modoko Cooperative (MODOKO) have been concluded, and corporate signatures have been signed. These agreements, signed by our University Rector Prof. Dr. Bahri Şahin and MODOKO Board of Directors officials, consist of two separate, comprehensive, and complementary texts: the "Cooperation Protocol" and the "External Stakeholder Protocol." These protocols, which strengthen the ties between the university and the industry, enable the blending of educational processes with industrial realities, and aim to generate mutual benefits for both institutions, have come into effect to increase the quality of our undergraduate degree programs and to ensure that academic activities are carried out much more effectively with field experience.
The most fundamental focus of the Cooperation Protocol signed between the parties is to meet the practical application necessity inherent in Interior Architecture and Environmental Design education at professional standards. The transformation of theoretical knowledge into physical production, closely getting to know materials, and personally experiencing the functioning of industrial production lines are indispensable elements of a qualified design education. In accordance with the relevant articles of the protocol, equipped production workshops and facilities under the umbrella of "Modoko Academy" belonging to MODOKO have been allocated for the use of our students for the education and research processes of our department's applied courses, especially the "Furniture Design and Production" course. In this way, our students will have the privilege of experiencing the production stages of the projects they designed in a digital environment or on paper in a real facility environment.
Considering the contribution of knowing the material to professional development during workshop applications, regulations have also been made regarding the procurement of consumables. Basic production materials such as MDF, chipboard, solid wood, and similar materials to be used by students at Modoko Academy during applied courses will be procured directly by the students as a part of production awareness and professional responsibility. In addition, within the scope of the protocol, professional operations performed by authorized experts within MODOKO in production facilities will be personally observed on-site by our students. This observation process, which is a version of the master-apprentice relationship adapted to modern industry, will allow our students to learn sectoral operations, machine usage techniques, and material processing details directly from the experts.
In order to ensure that our students can work in a safe environment in production facilities and to prevent possible negative events, occupational health and safety (OHS) standards have become one of the most sensitive and detailed articles of the protocol. As per the protocol, the complete provision of physical Occupational Health and Safety conditions regarding field conditions in the workshop and production facilities offered by MODOKO and the supply of basic safety equipment such as glasses and masks required during work will be entirely under the responsibility of MODOKO. On the other hand, it is our University's obligation to raise our students' awareness regarding the risks inherent in the workshop environment and to provide the legal and basic theoretical occupational health and safety training they need to receive before entering these areas. It is also stipulated in the protocol that MODOKO will not have any legal liability for any possible accidents that may occur in this safe working environment to be established with the coordinated work of both institutions.
In addition to the contributions of the Cooperation Protocol to the educational infrastructure, the direct support it offers to the pre- and post-graduation career development of our students is of great importance. As one of the most concrete indicators of university-industry integration, MODOKO has committed to mediating the provision of internship opportunities to our students in its member workplaces within the framework of its own corporate needs and conditions. MODOKO will give priority to IGU students so that our university students can complete their internships in relevant fields within its own structure. This process will be carried out in coordination with our University's Career Planning Center, and the quotas and the number of students to participate in the internship program will be determined through mutual negotiation and agreement of the parties and notified to the relevant center. However, MODOKO has been directly authorized in matters such as the selection of the individuals to do the internship, the determination of the internship admission criteria, and the designation of the location and department to be assigned. Providing a corporate contribution to increasing the knowledge, accumulation, and professional experience of our students who benefit from the program during their internship is also among the goals of the protocol.
Career planning is not limited to internships; our students' steps into professional life after graduation are also supported within the scope of the protocol. If the determined professional conditions, required position competencies, and suitable staff needs are met, MODOKO will operate an official mediation mechanism to provide priority employment opportunities for our university graduates to work in its member workplaces. This article is a very valuable step that will accelerate the integration of young interior architects and designers graduating from our department into the sector. Additionally, within the framework of this Cooperation Protocol, which is planned to be in effect until 2026, MODOKO will provide opportunities for technical trips to be organized to workplace centers or branches so that our students can examine business life and industrial operations on site. The transportation and logistical support needed for these technical trips will be covered by our University.
The "External Stakeholder Protocol", signed simultaneously with the Cooperation Protocol that legally secures the applied training and employment dimensions, transforms the communication between the two institutions into a strategic vision partnership at a macro level. Within the framework of the Higher Education Law No. 2547 and the principles of academic integrity, completely clear of commercial or financial concerns, and prepared on the basis of goodwill, this protocol is built upon the foundations of education, culture, technology development, research activities, human resources management, and jointly constructing the sectoral strategies of the future.
Within the scope of the aforementioned External Stakeholder Protocol, Istanbul Gelisim University and MODOKO will establish a regular, continuous communication network in their common areas of interest and regarding changes in both the local and global economy. By researching the possible effects of technological, social, and cultural changes in the real sector on the fields of furniture, design, and interior architecture, future corporate strategies will be created jointly in this direction. Furthermore, regarding the future of higher education and higher education institutions, joint action will be taken on the extent to which educational methods can respond to sectoral needs.
Research and development (R&D) activities have been determined as one of the most productive working areas of this strategic partnership. In accordance with the protocol, the parties will jointly develop proposals for project grant and support programs provided by public institutions, national research organizations, and European Union (EU) funds, and work together on projects that will enable the transformation of academic knowledge into industrial practice. In the text, where special emphasis is placed on innovation, it was decided to develop cooperation opportunities in the fields of technological and social innovation. With the aim of transforming academic and sectoral studies into added value, a concrete product, and social benefit, joint actions will be taken in the processes for obtaining trademarks, patents, and copyrights, and projects will be produced regarding intellectual property rights. In this context, academic support processes will be utilized to conduct joint research for developing new products that can immediately respond to sectoral needs and for examining the current state of global markets.
Mutual nourishment and interaction between the institutions are also detailed in the dimension of events and training. As a result of mutual discussions between the two institutions, joint design competitions, exhibitions, and sectoral panels can be organized. In academic meetings, conferences, seminars, and talks to be held within or outside the University, speaker support at the level of senior business professionals and executives will be provided by MODOKO upon the University's request; similarly, our University will provide academic and research support in conferences and workshop organizations hosted by MODOKO. In the protocol, where the future of human resources policies is also planned, support will be provided for the development of qualified human resources needed by the real sector by collaborating in graduate education activities. Upon MODOKO's request and our University's approval, the provision of training services on various subjects to MODOKO employees by our University is also recorded.
The External Stakeholder Protocol, which has come into effect for a period of three (3) years, has an extension option to ensure corporate sustainability. 3 months before the end of the period, a special commission consisting of individuals determined by the parties will convene, review the status of the cooperation in detail, and depending on the commission's decision, the protocol period may be extended for another five (5) years.
Corporate and academic data obtained throughout all these comprehensive study and integration processes will be considered confidential information by the parties and will strictly not be shared with third parties during or after the contract period. In all processes requiring personal data transfer, the Personal Data Protection Law (KVKK) No. 6698 will be strictly complied with, and except for exceptional circumstances, the explicit consent of the relevant persons involved in the processes will be obtained. Regarding the corporate communication and brand value dimension of the protocol; the parties will act in a way that will not harm each other's corporate image when announcing their cooperation to the public. During the protocol, both institutions will have the right to use each other's corporate logos and names on their websites, social media accounts, and printed materials as solution partners or stakeholders.
As the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, we take great pride in the signing of these protocols, which represent a major milestone in achieving our department's goals in the AQAS accreditation process and elevate our academic standards much further. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our University Rectorate, which has provided us with all kinds of support within the legal and administrative framework since the very beginning of the process, to the MODOKO Board of Directors, which has opened its doors to education and young ideas, to the esteemed academicians of our department, and to all our external stakeholders who contributed to our vision. We hope these steps, which will provide strong momentum to education, production, and scientific research, will be beneficial to all our students, our academic community, and the furniture sector.
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