SKILLS AND EDUCATION SYSTEM LOCAL EDUCATION PROJECT Daniel Quineche Meza
In the period between the end of the second millennium and the beginning of the third millennium have been a series of rapid changes in various dimensions of life on Earth .
Perhaps the most significant change was observed in the field of communications as a result of the application of new technologies has led to Internet settings , where each day opens up new possibilities, unthinkable, and large impact on the diversity of existing societies.
The impact of new information technologies and communications are shown in various scenarios such as:
a) The economy. At the beginning it seemed that the only change would be on increasing the speed for processing information and thereby reducing the time and distance between transmitters and receivers. However, the change was greater with the creation of electronic commerce, which is leading to recreate the entire production and marketing system and to change consumption habits. Today no one doubts that we face a global economy and its consequences, as the current financial crisis.
b) The organization, particularly the production. Productive enterprises feel the pressure of accelerating change and are forced to respond by increasing their productivity and reducing operating costs, ie increasing their efficiency and effectiveness (competitiveness). These new targets are only achievable based on the committed participation of all members of the organization, leading to the flattening of organizational structures in order to faster access to critical issues and take appropriate decisions. Is the era of total quality systems.
c) Knowledge. As far as we knew and domain knowledge was a people's own potential. The creation of the printing press was the first step in the de-corporation of knowledge, but for a long time access to knowledge was very limited. Today the Internet has not only completed the process of de-corporation knowledge but that facilitates accessibility and more has even led to the emergence of new actors in the creation and dissemination of knowledge. Hence the new age is called "knowledge era."
d) Innovation. The history of mankind is marked by scientific and technological innovations. But what is now impressive is the pace of continuous innovation, intensity and rapid dissemination and application. For example, the transistor at 3 years of his invention was already in the shops. This is the time in labs and universities are constantly producing scientific and technical innovations, their results immediately enter part of the production, work and life of people.
changes that are occurring are so deep that the best way of putting it is that we are undergoing a cultural paradigm shift. This change will demand profound changes in ways of how to perceive and act in the world, as the knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired by individuals can not be the same as in the past.
If this is summed up in one phrase the attitudes, knowledge, skills and behaviors that should characterize modern man would be flexibility. This implies that people should have an open mind, take the inquiry as vital attitude, tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty, being willing to learn continuously.
The challenge facing education systems today is to be flexible people able to participate as citizens and producers in an era where little sense of stability, dogmatism, regulated and rigid behavior, defense the status quo. Educated people are needed, more functional, more ethical and social responsibility, a readiness for teamwork, therefore, more communicative and willing to learn along lifetime.
From this perspective has challenged the training model of education systems. The historical pattern to form first and then use what has been learned and that there is a time for training and another for work, today was overwhelmed. Also, not enough massive influx of people into education systems but the quality of training offered.
The answer to these challenges has been to propose a new approach to understand and deal with training people so that they are better able to live in this highly dynamic scenario changes. Thus has been outlining the approach to competency-based training.
The first step was taken in the productive field. Mertens and colleagues raised the need to design training proposals that meet the needs of the productive organizations so that they can improve their productivity and market positioning. Its basis was the studies indicating that business strategies towards competitiveness is based on building networks of collaboration between the production function and other actors such as suppliers, consultants, contractors, customers, employees, etc. Made clear that the important thing was no longer physical assets but financial and other valuable intangibles such as knowledge, training, innovation capacity, market management, motivation systems, etc. In short, one of the key components in the new business organization is the human factor, its contribution to make towards the objectives of the company. Therefore, the rise of labor competency approach is linked fully with the competitive strategy, given the need for companies to differentiate themselves in the market from developing its workforce.
pressure changes also extend to the upper levels of the education system and schools of higher education have begun to adopt the new approach to training based on competencies and focus their training activities in the development of professional skills. The most important step has been taken at European universities from the Bologna agreement . All academic institutions in most European countries have been engaged in a process of profound transformation to achieve what is known as convergence of university systems by 2010. One of the main characteristics of this change is the introduction of a new credit system (ECTS ) that guides the design of curricula of various degrees and makes consistent across countries, thereby facilitating student mobility and recognition of studies. In this scenario is that the powers proposed to make visible achievements.
Today it is recognized that the skills are not only justified to foster closer relations between vocational training and the production system but because:
- The integrated nature of the concept of competencies allows the realization of the four pillars of the twenty-first century learning: knowledge and learning to learn, know how to be and know how to live in peace with others (Delors Report, 1999).
- Power curricular renewal to address the curriculum in a comprehensive manner as proposals (plans and curricula and materials), teaching practices (curriculum implementation) and evaluation of learning.
- provides a methodology and a common language that will enhance the legitimacy, comparability and competitiveness of professional qualifications.
- provides the basis for the comparison of the net curriculum and professional certification and recertification.
Finally, we have come to the realization that there is a set of common skills (cross) all the offers of employment and professional fields to be developed from the earliest ages. These are the basic skills , which are the focus of all education systems in the level of basic training and which I will later.
