Many companies are starting to consider alternating university training (FDU) as an effective way to access the talents they need and which the market does not always guarantee. This model requires close collaboration, where the company participates in the … design of study programs and the student devotes a significant part of his training (between 20% and 40% of credits) in the workplace on a paid basis. A commercial interest that coincides with a substantial change within the universities themselves, as explained Jon Altuna, vice-rector of Mondragon Unibertsitatea (MU). “Internative training ceases to be an isolated experience to become an expanding model within the university system. The traditional “gap” that existed between the training received at university and the needs of the company is narrowing in terms of time and depth. It is penetrating the university system due to the conviction of universities themselves, but also accompanied by the need for companies to approach strategic talent management and retain them more effectively. And that’s something we see in large companies as well as in SMEs.
In fact, as reflected in the data from the study “The Observatory of Dual University Training”, an initiative of the Bertelsmann Foundation, 50% of Spanish universities It already offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees under this model. Even if some private universities continue to lead the offer, it is public universities that are the most advanced, underlines Altuna.. Of the 17 Autonomous Communities, 11 of them currently offer them. Regarding diplomas, the vice-rector affirms that the most dualized fields tend to be concentrated, on the one hand, in the technological field and, on the other hand, in the business field, although the growth of hitherto little present fields such as education and the human sciences is particularly interesting. “One of the big challenges of these fields is their employability and several companies are already welcoming work-study students of these degrees, recognizing that the humanities also add value to their business and organizational processes.”
Three great pillars
From a labor market perspective, Miguel Mercado, country director of Randstad, indicates that job offers are concentrated in three main pillars, ttechnology, health and logistics. Hiring in the technology field is a direct result of the need for companies to digitize and analyze their data to keep up, with key positions in cybersecurity, software development and data analysis. In engineering, which tends to benefit from this type of program, we are looking for industrial project managers, renewable energy experts and advanced maintenance technicians; In health, demographic reality triggers the demand for professionals; and in logistics, the rise of e-commerce continues to grow uncontrolled. There is also a notable demand for sales profileswhere the combination of technical knowledge, practical experience and business skills is highly valued. “What we’re seeing is that job demand is concentrated in very specific companies. Those who innovate, who have an international vocation and who are flexible enough to adapt quickly to changes,” explains Mercado.
The latest data we have at Mondragon Unibertsitatea shows that students who complete a dual education They have an employment rate of 94%, compared to 90.3% of those who take traditional routes. Although academic employability is generally high, at certain universities and degrees the difference is particularly significant, says Altuna. “In some cases this represents an improvement of up to 28% in the placement rate, demonstrating the real impact this has.” he assures.
Difficulty
The integration of the model imposes economic and cultural challenges on companies
However, launching these programs involves a significant effort on the part of companies and requires them to review their internal operations. The integration of the model requires that companies adapt their procedures, because management imposes challenges that range from economic to cultural and They affect both the structure and the work environment. It is a win-win for both parties, but the main obstacle holding it back is the difficulty of applying the Alternate Training Contract, the regulation of which by the SEPE is insufficient. Faced with this lack of regulatory clarity, many establishments prefer the known route of the scholarship system and internship agreements, instead of engaging in the double remuneration model required by law.
In many cases, this model also has an undeniable territorial impact, Altuna continues to explain. “Sectors anchored in very specific regions, like the intensive agriculture of Almería, Industry in the Basque Country or chemistry in the Valencian Community depend on highly specialized professionals and often have difficulty attracting talent from other fields. “The dual training allows them to involve local young people in strategic activities for their territory and to ensure generational change which would otherwise be threatened.” A good example of how this model is implemented is the D-UAL Talent program of the University of Almería to be a territory with a network of agricultural businesses. This is why it was presented as a strategic tool allowing companies to actively participate in defining the skills and training the talents they need, according to the Bertelsmann Foundation. “Agreements have been reached to define responsibilities, objectives and evaluation criteria, ensuring that the collaboration is two-way and satisfactory for both the company and the student,” they specify. Another example of the progress of dual training in the public sector is the implementation of this model in bachelor’s studies in chemistry and related postgraduate courses (master’s and doctorate) offered by the Jaume I University of Castellón (UJI), the Rovira i Virgili University of Tarragona (URV), the University of Valencia (UV), to which the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) has recently joined as the first public center in the Community to opt for this modality.
Crossing of interests
In this intersection of interests, collaboration between businesses, educational establishments and administrations is essential, underlines Mercado. And although the model is in its embryonic state, this cooperation ensures that the training offer evolves at the same pace as the job market and prevents knowledge from becoming obsolete. “Companies must invest in continuing training and talent retention to consolidate their workforce in the medium term, by adapting profiles to technological developments, and many are already doing this by focusing on training in skills rather than content that quickly becomes obsolete.
Leaders
Euskadi, Catalonia, the Valencian Community and Andalusia are the communities with the most dualized diplomas
In countries where dualistic training is more developed, its success has been possible thanks to comprehensive support systems such as tax incentives for businesses, subsidies for the integration of students and specific structures in universities to manage the relationship with the productive fabric, analyzes the vice-rector. “Without the structure of a system to facilitate implementation of the overall model, we risk seeing the model stagnate before it matures.” In Spain, implementation is progressing unevenly. The Basque Country, Catalonia, the Valencian Community and Andalusia are the autonomous communities with the most dualized degrees, and although at first glance it seems that private universities are leading the offer, the most recent analysis goes in the opposite direction; It is the public universities which are showing a more determined desire, by integrating double degrees and creating internal units to manage them.
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