Comparative analysis of recruitment qualifications of industrial designers in Turkey through undergraduate education programs and online recruitment resources

Abstract

Although the term ''industrial designer'' is a well known title, the understanding of industrial design as a profession is still unclear, as evidenced by its application in the sector. In light of this, schools of industrial design should, despite the immense contributions to the sector made by their past graduates, continuously revise their curricula and review their deficiencies to provide a better correlation between their graduates and the needs of the industry. The aim of this study is to ascertain the role of the industrial designer from the perspective of industry by analyzing the specifications stated in job adverts for the recruitment of industrial designers. This study was conducted in three phases. In the first phase, an in-depth literature review was completed. The second phase was dedicated to the identification of the industrial designer in terms of education institutions, and to realize this, the curricula and course contents of industrial design undergraduate programs selected from ten universities in Turkey were analyzed. The third phase was directed towards identifying the profile of the industrial designer from the perspective of industry. Thus, the analyses were made through an investigation of the job opportunities available in the industrial design profession announced in seven major job search websites during the last 4 months of 2009. The results of this study are crucial for all parties involved as they help to satisfy the recruitment expectations of industrial design education, the industry, and the graduates.

Industrial Design education in Australia: a competence analysis across primary, secondary and tertiary education levels

“…Both the interviewees and the survey respondents saw problem solving as a key defining feature of Industrial Design education. This is consistent with the views of many Industrial Design competences authors (Erkarslan et al, 2011 ; O*Net, 2021 ; Tatlisu & Kaya, 2017 ; WDO, 2018 ; Yang, et al, 2005 ). Problem solving is also one of the most important twenty-first century competences (Adesida & Karuri-Sebina, 2013 ; Ananiadou & Claro, 2009 ; Donnelly & Wiltshire, 2014 ), so this finding suggests that problem solving is an important component of the value and twenty-first century relevance of Industrial Design education.…”

Exploring the motives behind the formations of industrial design programs in Turkey

“…This study also notes that the managers demanded computer-aided design skills, and there had been significant improvements in the curricula recently. A more current study by Erkarslan, Kaya and Dilek (2013) suggests an incompatibility between curricula and industries' expectations, as industries tend to employ designers that are equipped with more design skills and contextual understanding. Erkarslan (2013) states that departments do not update their curricula according to industries' pace and the level of co-operation between departments and industry is still quite low.…”

Exploring the motives behind the formations of industrial design programs in Turkey

“…This study also notes that the managers demanded computer-aided design skills, and there had been significant improvements in the curricula recently. A more current study by Erkarslan, Kaya and Dilek (2013) suggests an incompatibility between curricula and industries' expectations, as industries tend to employ designers that are equipped with more design skills and contextual understanding. Erkarslan (2013) states that departments do not update their curricula according to industries' pace and the level of co-operation between departments and industry is still quite low.…”