Geography,GIS and employability in Turkey |
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Authors: | Mehmet Şeremet Brian Chalkley |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Maritime Transportation and Management Engineering, Yuzuncu Yil University, Van, Turkey;2. School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK |
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Abstract: | Although higher education in Turkey does not have especially well-advanced systems and resources for addressing graduate employability, two developments are making it particularly important for Turkish geography departments to give increased priority to this agenda. One is the country’s new Higher Education Qualifications Framework and the other is a major increase in geography student numbers, which means that geographers seeking school teaching posts (traditionally seen as the natural career pathway) now hugely outnumber the posts available. Against this background, this paper proceeds to explore the potential of geographic information systems (GIS) to contribute to geographers’ employability in Turkey through a study involving the views and experiences of academic staff, students and employers. The paper reveals a mixed picture of both opportunities and challenges. It ends with a series of employability recommendations for geography and GIS in Turkey, a number of which could also be of wider relevance elsewhere. |
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Keywords: | Turkey higher education employability GIS teaching |
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