Engineers' Chamber to Host Workshop on Graduate Unemployment and Education Issues

The Chamber of Electrical Engineers (EMO) Ankara Branch is preparing to host a workshop addressing critical issues facing new engineering graduates in Turkey, primarily the "diploma holder unemployment" phenomenon. Ramazan Pektaş, General Chairman of EMO Ankara, shared insights gained from university visits, highlighting concerns about the current educational policies that lead to a surplus of graduates struggling to find employment.

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Primary and secondary education has been turned into a mess, systematically disorganized with approaches lacking a productive and scientific perspective. Finally, mathematics in high school has been simplified.

Pektaş criticized the Turkish education system, describing primary and secondary education as "a mess" lacking scientific rigor. He pointed to the simplification and removal of mathematics and science courses in high schools, creating an uneven playing field where students relying on private tutoring have an advantage. He also noted a lack of autonomy and scientific basis in university education, citing "incompetent appointments" as a problem.

The chamber also raised concerns about the exploitation of "cheap labor" under the guise of university-industry cooperation. Pektaş explained that final-year students are often exploited as "candidate engineers" before graduation, exacerbating graduate unemployment. He warned that reducing engineering education to three years could further worsen the situation, especially without a national employment strategy and with existing overcapacity in university programs. This reduction might also lead to international skepticism about the quality of Turkish engineering degrees.

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Exploitation of cheap labor is carried out under the guise of university-industry cooperation. As an application of this, final-year students nearing graduation are employed under the deception of 'candidate engineer,' which leads to unemployment among graduate engineers.

To tackle these multifaceted problems, EMO Ankara is organizing a workshop titled "Engineering, Engineering Higher Education, and the Future of Engineering in the 21st Century." The workshop, planned for October or November, will bring together academics, professional chamber representatives, and industry professionals. An online consultation meeting is scheduled for August 29, 2026, to finalize the workshop's agenda, duration, and location. Key topics will include engineering education, commercialization in teaching, and professional competency.

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The current higher education system is falling apart. As a branch, we have decided to put these problems on the table with the workshop 'Engineering, Engineering Higher Education, and the Future of Engineering in the 21st Century.'