Workplace Application and Student Skill Acquisition as Part of the 3+1 Education Model in Vocational Schools

Human resources, which have strategic importance for businesses, are equally important in increasing the development level of a country. Well-trained qualified human resources contribute to development as well as meeting the needs in the labor market. Thus, universities play a key role in producing a well-qualified workforce. Universities' updating themselves in line with the market needs and training workforce by cooperating with the industry contributes to the participation of the workforce in the labor market at a level that meets the needs of the market. Besides, it reduces the huge number of the unemployed with a diploma who have knowledge that is useless in business and do not know what to do with this knowledge. The main purpose of education should be to develop skills that will add value to organizations, achieve their goals, and provide sustainable competitive advantage. Its success is possible by supporting theoretical knowledge with practical training. As such, vocational colleges, which have adopted the mission of training intermediate staff for years and have been experiencing various difficulties today, have started to implement a new education model. In the 3+1 education model, which is based on practical training in the workplace, students complete three semesters of theoretical courses and spend the final semester practicing at work. In this study, the effectiveness of the 3+1 education model based on 3-semester lectures and one-semester workplace practice applied in vocational schools is measured. For this purpose, the satisfaction levels of students studying at Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Vocational School of Social Sciences and the effectiveness of the model were measured through a questionnaire. According to the findings, it was concluded that the 3+1 education model is effective in terms of students, employers, and schools. In general, the study is beneficial in revealing the effectiveness of the 3+1 education model, its benefits for stakeholders, and the problems it brings.