Summary
The insufficiencies in the professional training of university graduates to face with quality their functions in the companies in which they must develop their working lives are derived, fundamentally, from the weaknesses of a university-company relationship that can efficiently and effectively fulfill this task, that contributes with the basic resources necessary in the development of the investigative - labor practices that the students execute in the companies and at the same time mutually benefit within the framework of this relationship.
The problem of the university - company relationship
Today the conception is universally generalized that in the training of university professionals, students must be trained at work and not only for work, in an educational process where he plays the main role, for the achievement of the required quality of the graduate… Concern for the quality of studies stems from the idea that the higher level students of a country are part of the wealth of that country, they are assets of the highest value for the whole society, so to speak, given the roles that upon graduation they are called to perform within it. So it is in the public interest to ensure the quality of the students. Even in the future, universities will be judged or evaluated more on the quality of their students than on the quality of their professors,as a consequence of the emphasis that today is placed on learning processes more than on teaching… (TUNNERMANN, 1996, p. 66).
Despite the significance of the student's role in the teaching-educational process in universities and the influence that work activity has on their training, no uniformity has been achieved in considering work activity as a component of this process. In the study plans, the time devoted to this component of the curriculum does not follow a regularity in the careers, rather there is an anarchic and empirical conception. However, higher education has been gaining ground in the on-the-job training of its students, finding that in many countries, although the time dedicated to work and the ways to do it are still insufficient, this conception already constitutes a reality.
The problem of resources.
Among the principles that sustain an adequate educational policy is the participation of the entire society in education, which is specified in that education is a task for everyone. Any economic, political, social or mass organization participates by supporting the educational system at all levels (VELA, 2000, p. 14).
The materialization of this maxim collides with the criterion of considering financing the training of quality professionals as an expense and not as a profitable investment in the development of the country.
This investment must be placed in the place where it achieves the greatest efficiency, which are the centers most capable of achieving this objective: the universities.
There is, however, a distortion of this situation. Companies do not skimp on resources in training and requalifying the university graduates they receive, because this is a vital need for their productive development. On the other hand, the university could not graduate a professional prepared to meet social needs, due to not having the material resources to achieve it.
A university graduate transmits to the social environment where the quality of his training is inserted, which is the product of the quality of the teaching-educational process. Even when this correspondence is not direct, the quality of the graduate will depend on the one that accredits the university.
Today many definitions and quality criteria are used to accredit the university, career, discipline, etc.; handling for this different sets of concepts, called dimensions, components, or with other nomenclatures; but in all of them it is increasingly common to observe a common denominator: the availability of resources. The resource limitations of the universities to fulfill their main social mission are a current problem, especially in third world countries. Among the greatest current limitations, there are the so-called basic resources:
- Human resources: there are limitations both in quantity, to attend to the accumulation of tasks related to the educational process, and in quality, due to the instability of the cloisters due to the permanent flight of personnel with more experience and preparation, towards other job offers more tempting, in production and service sectors Material resources: shortages include both physical infrastructure (premises, laboratories, workshops), and equipment (teaching aids, expendable materials, equipment, instruments, furniture, transport, etc.), and financial (for conservation, maintenance, renewal and replacement) Information resources: obsolete bibliography, little access to specialized journals (due to lack of financing for subscriptions),little access to sources of information and databases of companies for use in research (due to security measures), insufficient computer resources (computers, Internet access, virtual libraries, etc.).
In the current era, while quality is a social trend that floods industry, services, commerce and consumers, higher education remains far from this trend. Only in recent years has there begun to be made aware of the need for accreditation of higher education institutions and their careers, as a way to stimulate a responsible attitude in higher education in the process of terminal training of human resources with high quality and competitiveness (LAZO, 1996, p. 5).
The quality standards of the country's human resources must be, at least, similar to those of its commercial competitors, because the contribution to the cost of the material goods and services produced, the intellectual contribution of human resources (added value), surpasses that of raw materials and labor, so that the competitiveness in the market of these goods is the competitiveness of human resources, or otherwise, the possibility of accessing these markets is minimal (LAZO, 1996, p. 6-7). Faced with the limitations of natural resources, the wealth potential of a country remains in the hands of its human resources, the preparation of these and the management carried out based on the efficient and sustainable use of the former. The abundance of natural resources is not a requirement for a country to be prosperous.
Then there is a dilemma before the university, on the one hand, the social need to graduate high-quality professionals, and on the other, the lack of resources to achieve this end. Due to this, society receives a professional who is not completely fit to perform the functions that he must assume. The company, with good reason, will receive the graduate with displeasure and will let the university know about it.
Now the period of job requalification will be in the hands of the company, to which they will have to dedicate significant resources. Where will the use of these resources dedicated to the training of the professional be more efficient, in the university where this is its main task, or in the production or service company, which is not always suitable for it? The answer is obvious. The resource must be placed where your investment is most efficient.
UNESCO has made a dramatic call through the report of the Regional Commission for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean on the need to support with resources the educational endeavor of the region, pointing out that limited public funding is one of the main constraints that oppose the process of change and development of higher education; Universities must improve their management and make more efficient use of the human and material resources at their disposal, which is a way of being accountable to society, and on the other hand that capital investments in infrastructure (access roads to campus, laboratories, libraries,information highways) should be considered as public works that are part of the general effort aimed at infrastructure development of the economy (CRESALC, 1996).
In the same sense, DIDRIKSSON (1996, pp. 27 - 36) points out that the future of higher education must include the diversification of financing, the sharing of responsibilities with society and the linking of universities with the productive sector. To do this, it requires modifications in the laws to establish fiscal mechanisms that guarantee the growing flow of resources from the productive and services sectors, and points out the impossibility of the universities to have additional resources if their direct link with the productive sector is not achieved.
University students must be trained from the first years in solving real or simulated problems to those of professional problems; in developing practical skills and stimulating the logic of thought; in the use of science to solve these problems.
An integration of the universities with the production and service organizations and their joint action, both in undergraduate and postgraduate education, are premises for the training of professionals with a broad profile that society demands. This means a systemic conception of teaching - production - research, whose integrating element is constituted by the selection of real problems of production and services, taking into account the specific responsibilities of higher education, on the one hand, and on the other, of production and services (SILVA, 1993, p. 147)
The study-work and science-technology dialectic, as essential relations of the university-company link in the training of university professionals
The dialectical unit of study - work, has different ways of objectifying itself in different objects of study of the entire educational process of man, thus pursuing different objectives in primary or secondary education, it even differs in different types of schools.
Depending on this, this principle will be linked to other dialectical relations depending on the objectives pursued in each given object, for example, the abstract - concrete, theory - practice relations, etc. This relationship may also include objectives of a purely economic nature, due to the country's needs for students to participate in the financing of school institutions, but in all cases the essentially educational principle of the relationship is not lost sight of, although this is not always achieved. this objective in a harmonious way, due to the fact that the subjective contradictions indicated at the time by MAKARENKO (1951, p. 306) are maximized.
In the case of the research-labor training process of university students, the study carried out leads to the conclusion that the study-work relationship also becomes an essential relationship of the field of action and acquires its own dynamics in the teaching-educational process in the company constituted as a teaching unit. In this, the study-work relationship seeks the training of men at work, but with the particularity of achieving it by seeking solutions to real professional problems of companies, through scientific research, this is called research-labor practice and is the form of this process. To achieve that the study-work relationship is objectified in this concrete way of the training process,it is necessary that the science - technology union be established as an essential relationship in this particular teaching - educational process, which is supported by the university - company relationship. Science has its essence in the university, in it the process of invention occurs from the modeling of the productive process or the services given in which the problem appears. This modeling is the common language of professionals in training from different specialties, who approach the problem with a multidisciplinary approach.This modeling is the common language of professionals in training from different specialties, who approach the problem with a multidisciplinary approach.This modeling is the common language of professionals in training from different specialties, who approach the problem with a multidisciplinary approach.
As a result of the scientific research process, innovation appears as a dynamic of technology, which has its essence in the company. That is why the science-technology relationship also becomes an essential relationship of the process, together with the study-work relationship. They have the main character above the other dialectical relations present in the process.
In the context of the teaching unit, the investigative-labor training that is intended during the development of the investigative-labor practice, is only achieved if the study-work relationship is made dynamic through the science-technology relationship, otherwise the investigative practice - Labor, as a form of this teaching-educational process, as defined in this work, ceases to be such, and becomes another form of labor practice (familiarization, structured, etc.) in which there are other relationships dialectics no less important, but not essential in this process.
Specific epistemological conception of the university - company relationship, for the training of professionals
Within the theories established to lay the foundations of the relationships established between universities and companies, in most countries in the world today, some authors (HUBERMAN and LEVINSON, 1988, pp. 61 - 69) summarize two:
- Theory of Knowledge Transfer: establishes the different moments in relationships, from the production of knowledge by the university, to bringing its use to consumers (the company). An illustrative description of this theory is given by CORNELLA (2001, INTERNET) and FORBES (2001, INTERNET)… The university produces and markets knowledge, companies are clients…
This type of relationship, which is very widespread in developed countries, has a marked commercial accent. The approach is unidirectional in the university-company relationship, in addition to the fact that in the author's discretion, it should encompass other university processes that go beyond these functions more typical of science than of the teaching, science, production processes, extension, and that for that reason it does not fit the model sought, due to its limited intention.
- Inter-institutional Theory: Establishes that an inter-institutional agreement should benefit the university and the insertion center alike, improving work practice, institutional capacity, status and power of the participants, as well as inter-institutional connections.
According to this concept… if education is going to benefit from the real potential of the university-business collaboration movement, it seems appropriate to propose a collaboration model that highlights mutual benefit, collaboration, reciprocity and equal relationships… The term collaboration refers to an operational process that requires the development of a policy that allows joint planning, implementation and evaluation of those involved. Thus, the purpose of collaboration is to share responsibility, leadership and autonomy for making strategic decisions and operational implementation… (ANTELO and HENDERSON, 1992, pp. 51 - 56). This theory is more correct and partly supports the university-company relationship that is established at work,but with the extension of the relationship of mutual benefit to all university processes and, of course, to the processes linked to the production of the company, placing the main emphasis on the training process of the students, as a first for the agreement.
On the other hand, in the literature there are several models of relationship between the university and the work practice centers:
- Juxtaposition model: You learn by observing and imitating. It is up to the student in training to establish the connections between theory and practice. In this model, work practice is the most important curricular element (ZEICHNER, 1980, pp. 45 - 55). Characteristics:
- Juxtaposition of the contents of the training: first the theory (academic training,) and then the practices (application of knowledge) Hegemony of one of the partners in the relationship, since the planning of the practices corresponds to the university. Intentionality of the choice of settings for the practices (there are no criteria for choosing the insertion centers). Atomized practices: student in practice with a tutor. Practices with bureaucratic supervision, delegated to the good will of the corresponding teacher.
This proposal is close to the type of practice of familiarization or application of the theory, but in the author's opinion it encompasses the labor practice as a type of class and not the investigative-labor practice as a form of the process. It does not correspond to the idea sought, since the university - company relationship cannot be based on the hegemony of one of the parties, nor can an intention (objective) be lacking in the choice of the company, nor can practices be atomized by them.
- Consonance model: It implies a relationship between the university and the workplace that guarantees that the work in it is in line with what is provided in the university. Center professionals (mentors) receive training in supervisory practice. The mentor (at the workplace) and the tutor (at the university) have common perspectives and language.
In this proposal, teaching is guided by empirically developed knowledge, generated by research carried out by the university in insertion centers. Learning implies the acquisition of principles and practices derived from scientific studies on the profession (FEIMAN, 1990, p. 223).
This case is more suited to the centers called annexes that for years have been used in the country in the training of teachers and teachers, than to the type of relationship sought.
- Critical dissonance model: Seeing with different eyes. Promotes in training professionals the development of a critical attitude in work practices, which become an opportunity to investigate different curricular, organizational and social dimensions. (MARCELO and ESTEBARANZ, 1998, pp. 97-120).
There is agreement that the fact that the university-company relationship is dissonant is not a brake on mutual collaboration. Critical points of view of mutual processes are factors of development, seen from the dialectic.
- Collaborative resonance model: Training as a problem and shared responsibility. It presupposes the existence of an environment and a culture of collaboration between the members of both institutions, through the carrying out of joint projects, in which professionals in training can occasionally participate. The relationship is not established only for the development of internships, but also aims to cover research and innovation projects. (Op. Cit.)
This proposal is close to the foundation sought for the university - company relationship, only that the participation of professionals in training cannot be occasional, if not planned and the relationship must integrate the teaching, extension, production and research processes.
Regarding the university - company relationship agreements according to COCHRAN - SMITH (1991, p. 109), the goal of the training of professionals is not only to teach students in labor practices how to practice their profession, but more importantly it is to teach them to continue learning in diverse work contexts. This idea of continuous training is included as a regularity of the theoretical model that is proposed. As a premise of this model, an inter-institutional agreement marked by collaboration and agreement is needed. This inter-institutional involvement must take place in many respects (CLARK, 1996, p. 131). These aspects according to ALEXANDER (1990, pp. 59 - 73) are:
- Structural: It implies meeting between different institutions, each one with its purposes, structures, roles and procedures, and culture Attitudinal: They have to do with the attitudes and preconceptions that each party has of the other Personal: Since it affects representative people of institutions. Conceptual: given by the need to share learning models and theory-practice relationship.
To these aspects should be added the motivational aspects and those related to the different procedures of both parties, which have been included in the proposal of the university - company relationship that appears in this work.
Regarding the content that the company contributes to vocational training, according to DE PABLO (1994, Pages 13 - 39), the insertion of young people in companies to develop their work practices, can offer their contribution to training professional of the same in three important aspects:
1. Socialization in the world of work, which allows them:
- Learn to behave in a different social environment (company) than the known one (university) Assimilate the values and social norms that govern the workplace Assimilate work discipline and labor relations (attendance, punctuality, etc.) and pass from the egalitarian and even protective and paternalistic relationships of the school, to the strictest demand of their abilities.
2. The channeling towards a future job at the internship center, which is motivating, given that many young people find employment in the center where they have done internship and that due to their performance, they have been requested upon graduation.
3. The technical - professional training, which is the poorest contribution, due to inadequacies of the company, such as:
- The assignment of simple, routine and repetitive tasks Not assigning the most capable people to serve young people There is no planning or organization of the training process in the company (it does not have a pedagogical concept) The lack of joint programming between the company and the school, which does not contribute to articulate the practice in the company with the theoretical - technological contents of the study plan.
On the other hand, the practice in the company allows:
- The execution by students of real work tasks. Getting in contact with new technologies unknown to them, acquiring theoretical knowledge not offered in the study center.
For this author, the training process in the company is relegated to the “probable contribution” in the assimilation of the contents, which does not agree with the desired process for the teaching units. There is agreement with the problems and content described by the author, to which we should first add generalizing professional skills or modes of professional performance, broadening the spectrum of values to the social environment of the workplace, as well as the employment perspective of the professional.
The work experience of young people who are trained for work in companies contributes to forming important values in them, which according to MARHUENDA (1994, pp. 41 - 67) are: integration, insertion, adaptation, learning, training, training, local development. Here a pragmatic conception is denoted in the formation of values purely of professional interest for the labor market, which do not coincide with the theoretical assumptions of this work.
In the case of the German educational system, according to LIPSMAIER (1979, pp. 14-15), they define a system of functions and categorical aspects of work in vocational training, which are:
- Acquisition function: the productive activity is oriented, generally, to the material acquisition that guarantees survival. Socialization function: the exercise of a trade is a specific social situation that facilitates the understanding of life in society. Holistic function: understanding of the complete process of production and consumption Aspect of continuity: work is the vital rhythm of people Construction function: formation of a work ethic Qualification aspect: through the exercise of a trade skills, knowledge are achieved and attitudes. Placement function: facilitates entry into the labor market. Selection function: through skill, talent and demonstrated achievement.
Note the intentionality of a man's training that transforms him into a commodity for the job market, that is, the merely professional aspects are accentuated, in which there is still success, but those that complement the integral training of the person are ignored. a coexistence stripped of selfishness, individualism and self-centeredness, which society requires.
A variant of Education in Technology for training by professional competencies is the so-called "in company" training used for the continuous training of professionals who have graduated from the workplace. This part of conceptions coinciding with the theoretical assumptions of this work, such as job training in a real environment… Working in real work environments, with the contents of real work and with the groups that work together or in the same organization, allows that the competence development process is facilitated… (FOLK, 2001, p. 1). … Only those companies that are aware of the importance of training in an organization and consider it as another strategic element,they will be able to benefit from the maximum development of the competencies of all its members… it is of vital importance to link the training of people to the general strategy of the company… (TORRES, 2001, p. 1),… it is a model that is becoming generalized in the world as a need for the continuous training of professionals, adapted to the demands of the company… (JIMÉNEZ, 2002, p. 1). The extension of these conceptions to the execution of on-the-job training from undergraduate is a very tempting idea to experiment with.The extension of these conceptions to the execution of on-the-job training from undergraduate is a very tempting idea to experiment with.The extension of these conceptions to the execution of on-the-job training from undergraduate is a very tempting idea to experiment with.
From the analysis of the epistemological conceptions about the university-company relationship for research-labor training and the analysis of own experience, the following theoretical assumptions have been synthesized:
- The university - company relationship responds to the science - technology relationship as a dialectic of invention - innovation, at the beginning of the Cuban pedagogy of study work and the dialectical unity of theory - practice. The dynamics of these relationships constitute a regularity of the proposed model. Interdisciplinary work to solve company problems is a foundation of the university - company relationship. It is a regularity of the model. The diversification of the financing of university processes is a foundation of the university - company relationship. It is included as a regularity. The undergraduate - training - specialization union within the framework of the university - company relationship, as a necessity in professional training. It is part of one of the regularities of the model.The university transfers academic and scientific content to the company, the company reciprocates this transfer in extracurricular content and is a systematization factor of the curricular content.The relationship has to be of mutual institutional benefit, reciprocity and equality.The training of the professional has to be accepted as a problem and a responsibility shared by both institutions. The relationship must encompass the curricular components: academic, labor - productive, investigative and self-preparation. The relationship is implemented in an agreement that covers the aspects: structural, attitudinal, personal, conceptual, motivational and procedural The university student is trained in the company to continue learning in other work contexts,he does not train in one aspect of his spheres of action. An idea that is one of the regularities of the model. The university-company relationship must be extended to the environment of both, as a factor of socialization of their cultures. The strategic planning of the teaching-educational process to be developed in the company must be joint.
Modeling the university - company relationship.
As the university - company relationship is a determining factor in the establishment of the teaching unit and in the didactic management of the research - labor training process of university students, it begins with its modeling.
The use of work centers as learning environments allows to link work experience with academic teaching, for this it is necessary that the jobs have really training potential, so that they provide true training in a specific professional field.
Learning from work experience can be motivating for students, as much or more than studying academic material at university, if you see its relationship to a real future occupation in which you have an interest. To this must be added the possibilities of socializing the values, norms and modes of behavior typical of a professional, which a well-organized work experience brings.
Similarly, the opening of universities to society is an imperative in today's world… Likewise, centers should be able to open up to the community with external and internal communication plans to facilitate mutual knowledge and understanding, and promote greater interrelation and structuring with the social environment in which they are inserted (CHAVARRIA. and BORRELL. 2002, Page 1)…
Based on the theoretical study of the four models and two existing laws for the university-business relationship in the international context, the analysis of own experiences and the observation of the work of linking universities with the productive sector and services, The regularities that a relationship must meet that optimizes the fulfillment of expectations have been synthesized from those of the process model, which for the teaching units are formulated in this work.
Regularities of the university-company relationship model:
1. The relationship dynamizes the dialectical units of study - work as the basis of Cuban education, and science - technology between the university (where science has its essence, where it is created and disseminated) and the company (where science has its essence. technology, where scientific knowledge is applied), which is the necessary dialectic for the invention - innovation relationship.
2. The generation of real professional labor problems in the company, feasible to solve through the scientific work of students and professionals from both institutions, is the basis and starting point of the mutual relationship. In this relationship, the problem category has the main role, and in the work in the search for solutions by the students, the emphasis on the educational of the training process generated by this relationship is objectified.
3. Conception of quality training for professionals as a task and responsibility shared between the university and the company, which includes diversifying financing for the training of professionals.
4. The relationship covers the undergraduate - training - specialty trilogy and follows it up in the training of the professional.
5. The relationship between the university and the company for the training of professionals must be alien to the merely commercial conception, it is based on the humanistic nature of the social project. It is based on the idea of the formation of man as a social and integral being and does not conceive of it as just another commodity.
6. The establishment of the relationship prioritizes the existence of real, complex and multivariate professional problems in the company, whose solution requires the integration of students from different careers and years in interdisciplinary integration research work.
7. The relationship is based on the concept of encouraging all subjects of the company (professionals, technicians and workers) to improve themselves, while teaching the students and professors of the university, and that they contribute to this improvement, while learning in the context of the company. Self-preparation, as a curricular component, plays the main role.
8. It stimulates the development of all university processes in the company.
From the manifestation of these regularities, the characteristics that the proposed model of the university-company relationship must fulfill are established, which has been enriched in its theoretical essence from the Interinstitutional Theory (HUBERMAN and LEVINSON, 1988, p. 61 - 69) and the Collaborative Resonance model (MARCELO and ESTEBARANZ, 1998, Pages 97 - 120); but covering all the fundamental processes of both institutions and focusing their functions on the shared training of the professional.
Characteristics of the university - company relationship:
- The science - technology union as a dialectic of the invention - innovation unit Interdisciplinarity in the solution of problems, with the methods of science Diversification of the financing of the processes Existence of inter-institutional mutual benefit Relations of equality and mutually collaborative treatment Stability of those involved, capable coordinator: leader, energetic, committed. Stimulation of the subjects involved, by incentives (material, moral). Having the student's training as a problem and shared responsibility. The relationship must be comprehensive: not only of practices, but of improvement projects, research and innovation The collaboration agreement must overcome structural problems (typical of institutions that are different in purposes, roles, structures, procedures and culture),attitudinal (motivated by the preconceptions of the subjects involved by each party), personal and conceptual (on learning models and the theory-practice relationship).
For the company and the community where it is located, the possibility of having a teaching unit and an inter-institutional agreement with the university, should be a reason for professional pride… The constitution of a teaching unit is a cultural event and the relations of the teachers, Researchers and students with the inhabitants of the place are means of transmission of that culture, becoming a channel for the expression in the territory of the culture treasured in the university… (ESTRADA and MORENO, 2000; Page 2). The teaching unit necessarily tends to become the dream of a university for everyone… today the teaching unit is conceived as a center that, within its range of action, develops research, the improvement of professionals, and technical and cultural extension;In other words, in that area it has the social function entrusted to the university… (Op. Cit. Page 2).
