The implementation of new models in higher education has had an impact on learning in Colombia. On this occasion, Carl Henrik Langebaek Ruedarector of Uniempresarial, in an interview with Portafolio spoke about the dual model that the institution applies, where the student has the opportunity to have a co-training between the university and the business community, a model known as dual.
(Hybrid education model, one last change in the Development Plan).
What does this model of education consist of?
Students learn in two settings, in the classroom, where they are taught theory, and in real life, where they learn how things are. The student enters the university, leaves to work in the company, returns to the university and so on, but not with the philosophy of doing an internship. The student goes to the company to continue learning, with tutors and teachers from the university working together.
This model guarantees the learning of working life, with experience and the result of everything is that from the same companies in which they carry out this type of education, they are hired when they leave, because it is a person who has been linked, learning and working.
Which countries have adopted this model?
Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Scandinavian countries and South Korea. They have very little youth unemployment, because students don’t get lost in working life.
Does this model contribute to the current gaps?
It’s fundamental. For example, Germany has 1.6 million people studying in this model. This implies joint work between universities, companies and the State, which is a key actor.
(Dual education: the answer to the challenge of learning + experience).
They are people studying who are going to have a much higher employment possibility than in any other model. It guarantees to bridge the gap between academia and work needs. This is what the country needs, because youth unemployment in Colombia is too high, that is unacceptable. This happens because the educational sector has not given them the appropriate response.
What about those who don’t hire?
These students, if they go to look for work and ask them for work experience they have, they can get their certificate. That gives some advantages because they already have references, they know what the job is about. The university world has become detached from reality. Some universities try very hard, generalizing is absurd, but the reality is that the world of work and academia have separated.
Have you seen growth from Uniempresarial?
We are in an institution that can double the number of students without a problem and we would love to do it, but we also want the model to have more impact. This is a different education, not because other universities are bad, but because it is special and has advantages.
Have you seen results?
The students of our model graduate from their professional career in three and a half years and do not have an entrance exam, they do not have a minimum score on the Saber 11 test to enter the university. However, when the results of our Saber Pro come out, it is superior to that of the country in all areas. This is proof that when learning is done in real life contexts, it is something else.
(Enrollment in teaching programs in Colombia drops).
What role do companies play in this model?
It is necessary to create awareness in the business community because what options do companies have: go to the market, get the resumes, select the ones closest to the needs and train them. Here they are forming them from the beginning. Entrepreneurs can contribute to education, one of them is by making donations to universities, magnificent, but the other where they can have an impact for the benefit of the country and themselves, is through the dual model.
Should all education make a transition to dual education?
All training should be practical. We cannot continue to train students and then release them into a world and have them crash. I think that although not all training should be dual, this model is very important, it covers many areas, not just the conventional business ones. The universities should make greater efforts so that people are in contact with the country.
Is a crisis looming due to high costs?
There is a lot of frustration because education is expensive. Institutions that want to do it well have a problem of high costs, they must also prioritize what the money is spent on because in the end it is the families that are paying. One of the dramas of this country is that people are studying, getting into debt. It is a great challenge, in which the State must intervene.
Do you have allied companies?
We have about 300, in which our young people are doing co-formation. We have had the support of large companies such as Nestlé, but also small, medium and even micro.
How is the work with Mineducation going?
It is slow, the Ministry of Education is overwhelmed by the number of applications it has had as a result of the pandemic. However, we understand that there is a very strong damming.
DIANA K. RODRIGUEZ T.
