According to the Laboratories of Economic of Education, LEE, of the Javeriana University, while due to the pandemic, undergraduate enrollment in private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) fell 23% in the second semester of 2020, compared to the same semester of 2019; On the other hand, when analyzing first-year enrollment in public institutions of Technical and Technological training, it grew 33% in the same period analyzed, compared to 2019.
“The 33% increase in the demand for technological and technical programs, which occurred in the midst of this pandemic, is due to the fact that they take less time and are cheaper” Luz Karime Abadía, co-director of the LEE of the Javeriana University.
Technical labor training is key to eradicating poverty rates in our country, because according to the expert Claudia Milena Manjarrez, executive director of the CICCE Corporation, the results obtained by those who have initiated processes in this type of education have been successful and have transformed the life not only of them, but of their relatives, since the basic income of the households varies, improving their quality of life.
The state should prioritize Labor Technical programs, since graduates are workers who occupy 70% of the positions required by most companies, and 30% or less are required with a university profile to occupy executive, managerial and strategic positions.
“Labor technicians are the ideal start for any young person, including older people who did not have the opportunity to study, they can start from the ninth grade of high school and if they are educational entities with accredited programs in quality systems and endorsed by the Ministry of education, they can continue with university education studies, having advanced some credits and/or semesters according to the program. I believe that this is due to an issue of breaking paradigms as a society from the institutional framework, in which it seems that the only valid scheme in Colombian society is the university, since they are programs that complement each other.
There is a lack of greater support from the National Government for the Labor Technical programs, they are a solution to the labor and economic reality of the country, better cost-benefit ratio for those who carry them out and for companies it is a solution to hire qualified personnel, with practical and concrete experience in the sector.
Institutions should encourage and promote, help break social paradigms, because as in other first world countries, it is a pride to be a Labor Technician, it is smart to start with a Labor Technician, because in companies all workers are professionals , some are university professionals and others are comprehensive professionals, such as graduates of technical labor programs, who mostly hold assistance, auxiliary and coordination positions, the highest percentage of the labor pie or pyramid”, said Claudia Milena Manjarrez , executive director of CICCE.
Some points to take into account, for which it is considered that the Labor Technical training is a solution to the labor and economic reality of the country and a transforming axis of the vulnerability condition of many populations are:
- The business reality in our country reflects a latent need in the hiring of personnel with technical training, since industrial plants require a greater number of technical personnel compared to professional personnel in an approximate proportion of two (2) professionals for every ten (10) technicians (Source: Labor Observatory for education).
- In countries such as Germany, the United States and England, priority is given in the qualification to base workers who are in charge of the operational and tactical work in the organizations. Statistics show that 6 technicians are trained for 1 professional, a situation contrary to what happens in Colombia, where 6 professionals are trained for each technician (Colombian university observatory). Which means that in Colombia a large number of technicians are needed to cover the needs of the business sector, for this reason studying a technical labor program is the best option.
- The technical labor programs have a short duration, depending on the intensity of the hours, they can have a duration of 7 months, so the cost-benefit ratio is quite effective, to the extent that they have the possibility of training, qualifying and finding a better paid job with Not such a high investment.
- The technical labor programs focus on learning through “doing” the essential abilities and skills to perform a job in a company, it qualifies you to quickly face the labor reality or your own entrepreneurship.
- Students of a technical labor program who study at an accredited institution have the possibility of having apprenticeship contracts, where they are linked with companies to carry out paid internships in their field of study, these internships are from a minimum of six months to two years. their academic program could last, in this period of time the students have support from the institution, counseling, training to overcome situations such as appearing for interviews and tests of the different selection processes, preparing their resume, strengthening key skills and transversal that the company requires in its daily work, added to the fact that they can have affiliations to social security, economic remuneration and the most important thing is that they add work experience that greatly facilitates their connection to a formal job once they have fulfilled all the requirements to graduate as Labor Technicians in the area of their preference.