Teaching must adapt to market demands

The adoption of a flexible teaching model, through which students are able to adapt their training to market demands.

This is the central idea of ​​the proposal presented, during the public hearing, held this Monday (16), by the Education Commission, to discuss the professional and technical education, in which experts emphasized the need to increase the supply of courses and greater interaction between the school and the sector productive.

During the event, information emerged that, currently in Brazil, only 11% of young people attend technical courses, as well below the average shown by countries that make up the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), of 38%.

In the assessment of the vice-president of the Basic Education Chamber of the National Education Council (CNE), Suely Menezes, today there is a mismatch between what the job market demands and the training offered to students. “There are vacancies and there are students, but these students cannot fill these vacancies. We don’t start thinking about education, we have to first look at the market, look at society, look at trends to be able to design our curricula”, she commented.

Experts assess that the Brazilian job market is currently experiencing a paradox, translated by the fact that, while 28% of young people are unemployed, 81% of companies do not fill vacancies that require technical qualifications.

Training itineraries – As an alternative to at least reducing this gap, it would be the creation of training itineraries, which would consist of a teaching model, through which the student would maintain the same training, from basic education to higher levels, according to their possibilities, at the same time that such training would be adapted to market demands, throughout the route.

The general director of the National Industrial Learning Service (Senai), Felipe Morgado, goes further, to highlight that technological change makes the adoption of a more flexible teaching model essential. “There is a consensus that the world of work is being greatly driven by technologies, digitalization and sustainability. The future of work being uncertain, we have to discuss more about careers and less about that vacancy, that position in the job market. We have to provide more complete training, we have to encourage lifelong learning and engage the productive sector in this aspect”, he emphasized.

By highlighting that technical training is an opportunity to reduce the social vulnerability of youth, the chief of staff of the Executive Secretariat of the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Gustavo Alves de Souza recalls that, of the 96 million Brazilians registered in the single social assistance register, almost 14 million are young people between 16 and 24 years.