The External Stakeholder Meeting organized by the Department of Physical Education and Sports Teaching within the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Kütahya Dumlupınar University was held with the aim of strengthening cooperation between academic units and public institutions, supporting students’ professional development processes, and improving the quality of educational activities.

The meeting was attended by the Dean of the Faculty and faculty member of the department, Prof. Dr. Çetin ÖZDİLEK; the Head of the Department of Physical Education and Sports Teaching, Prof. Dr. Mehmet ACET; the Vice Dean and Chair of the SPORAK Accreditation Commission, Prof. Dr. Sinan AKIN; and the Vice Dean and Vice Head of the Department, Dr. Lecturer Pınar DEMİREL. Department representatives shared their opinions on important issues such as improving students’ professional competencies, enhancing the effectiveness of practice-based education processes, and increasing graduates’ adaptation to the professional sector.

Within the scope of the meeting, the topics titled “Transition Process to the Professional Training in the Workplace Program,” “Evaluation of the Teaching Practice Process,” and “Institutional Expectations from Students” were discussed in detail. In particular, the importance of the Professional Training in the Workplace (İŞME) model, which provides students with the opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge in real-life settings, was emphasized, and it was stated that inter-institutional coordination should be strengthened in order to ensure a more efficient implementation process.

Among the external stakeholders participating in the meeting were:

• Deputy Mayor of Kütahya Municipality, Mr. Haşim ERTEKİN,
• Director of Youth and Sports Services, Mr. İsmail ŞEN,
• Head of Culture, Arts, Social Affairs and Administrative Affairs at Kütahya Municipality, Ms. H. Nihan YILDIZ,
• Director of Sports Services at the Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports, Mr. Tuna ŞİMŞEK ARSLAN,
• Director of Youth Services, Dr. Ercan ŞİRİN,
• Deputy Director of the Provincial Directorate of National Education, Mr. Mustafa TOPUZ,
• Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Zekeriya ÜNAL,
• President of the Amateur Sports Clubs Federation (ASKF), Mr. Murat CENGİZ.

The participants made comprehensive evaluations regarding the expectations of their institutions, current practices, and opportunities for cooperation.

External stakeholders emphasized the importance of practice-based education in students’ professional development processes and highlighted the need to increase field experience opportunities. Furthermore, it was stated that planned and sustainable collaborations should be established in order to enable students to take more active roles within institutions. Institutional representatives also noted that joint projects and collaborations with universities play a crucial role in meeting the need for qualified human resources.

At the end of the meeting, a consensus was reached on taking joint steps to improve educational processes in line with the outcomes obtained through mutual exchange of ideas. In this context, it was decided to expand practices aimed at enhancing students’ professional competencies, increase opportunities for cooperation with institutions, and develop sustainable projects.

As the Department of Physical Education and Sports Teaching within the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Kütahya Dumlupınar University, it is aimed to educate students as more qualified and well-equipped individuals through strong communication and cooperation with external stakeholders, and it is planned that such meetings will continue to be held regularly in the future.