The training within Necmettin Erbakan University Milling Program contains both theoretical and practical studies. However it focuses mainly on practical studies. The program has an advisory committee consisting of industrialists led by Konya Commodity Exchange. This committee leads the lecturers according to the expectations of the industrialists. The companies which are also members of institutions included in the protocol offer their plants to students’ use; they support students in every aspect.
One of the most prominent universities in terms of milling industry in Turkey is Necmettin Erbakan University (NEU) in Konya. The university trains suitable candidates to be employed in the industry both in its engineering faculty and in Milling Program in Seydişehir Vocational School.
The training in the university contains basic courses for food engineering and practical courses. In addition, it contains specific courses about milling too. In this aspect, there are courses about machinery, electrification, automation infrastructure, flour and semolina milling, flour products, other grains and mill management areas. In other words, “Technology, Engineering and Management” are the three-sided unity that the school provides for practical education.
Basic courses of food engineering are taught by the most experienced academics of food engineering department. Practical courses are also taught by lecturers made of electrical engineers, mechanical engineering and food engineers who have 15 years of experience in milling industry. The school has the strongest lecturer team in its own area.
TRAINING AS TO THE EXPECTATIONS OF INDUSTRY
The Milling Program in Seydişehir Vocational School was established after a protocol signed by Konya Chamber of Industry, Turkish Flour Industrialists’ Federation and Anatolian Flour Industrialists’ Association, with the support of the Rector of NEU Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Şeker and under the leadership of a team including Prof. Dr. Selman Türker and Konya Commodity Exchange.
The program has a quota of 30 seats. It receives students with YGS-2 score type. In addition, students can be received without entrance exam if they studied “Food Technology, Food and Beverage Services, Family and Consumer Services” in high school. The program has 9 students now. It has not reached the sufficient number of student due to inadequate promotion activities despite the adequate demand of industrialists. However it promises a significant potential for the upcoming years.
The training in milling program contains both theoretical and practical studies. However it focuses mainly on practical studies. The program has an advisory committee consisting of industrialists led by Konya Commodity Exchange. This committee leads the lecturers according to the expectations of the industrialists. The companies which are also members of institutions included in the protocol offer their plants to students’ use; they support students in every aspect.
BOTH PRACTICAL AND ECONOMIC SUPPORT OPPORTUNITY
The students go to school for 3 days a week and work fulltime in the largest factories of the industry for 3 days a week. This enables the school to train technicians successfully.
İşkur enables students to work in factories as a part of its on-the-job training. The students both learn a profession and earn up to 700 TL per annum. Adding 250 TL industry scholarships, they can earn 950 TL per annum. They also have full personnel benefits such as insurance and social rights.
The students here are trained for all related areas of milling industry. Therefore, they will be able to work in many areas, especially as production and factory personnel. In addition, they will have the capability to work in milling machinery manufacturing industry. Besides, grain storage, sanitation, flour products, bread and pastry manufacturing will also be among specialization areas of students.