Turkish Universities Train Students for Digital Transformation and Future Jobs

Turkey's Higher Education Council (YÖK) is revising its training programmes to produce IT specialists who can support digital transformation across sectors. Bilkent University’s Faculty of Applied Sciences offers laboratory work, project‑based courses and industry collaborations so that students gain practical experience before graduating. Dr. Erkan Ucar, head of Bilkent’s Computer Engineering department, said the rapid pace of technological change is driving a growing demand for qualified digital‑system experts.

Bahçeşehir University Dean Prof. Dr. Yavuz Samur highlighted that artificial intelligence, digitalisation, the green transition and an ageing population are reshaping the labour market. He warned that by 2030 the World Economic Forum projects 170 million new jobs worldwide and 92 million jobs will disappear, with a net increase of about 78 million positions. New occupations such as digital‑twin engineering, personalised genetic‑health consulting and autonomous‑vehicle traffic management are expected to emerge, while roughly 39 % of current skills will need to evolve. Samur urged students to focus on acquiring competencies in technology, engineering, data science, cybersecurity and health‑related fields to stay competitive.