No. 70 (2020): Number 70 - December 2020
Artículos

Educational trends in the higher education academic offer in El Salvador – The relevance of majors in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) before the new digital economy

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  • Claudia María Rodríguez-Argueta
Claudia María Rodríguez-Argueta
Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador

Published 2020-12-15

Keywords

  • Higher education - El Salvador - Offer and Demand,
  • Scientific and Technologic development - El Salvador,
  • Technology Education - El Salvador

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How to Cite

Rodríguez-Argueta, C. M. (2020). Educational trends in the higher education academic offer in El Salvador – The relevance of majors in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) before the new digital economy. Entorno, 70, 22-32. https://revistas.utec.edu.sv/index.php/entorno/article/view/617

Abstract

In an era of rapid technological transformations, economic slowdown and transition to a post-Covid 19 “new normal”, many vicissitudes arise in the various economic activities, leading to the urgent need for other technical-professional profiles in the workforce and, at the same time, reforms in higher education programs.
One of the pertinent actions will be the prompt requalification of the workforce to adapt to the changing needs of the labor market. Among the areas to be promoted and strengthened in educational programs and in the vocational technical training system are skills in science, technologies, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The statistical analysis of the Ministry of Education – Higher Education 2017 data shows a favorable increase in enrollments in STEM careers in El Salvador; however, this group of careers only represent 23% of the total number of enrolled at the tertiary level in El Salvador. In addition, only 28.5% of STEM enrollments belong to the female gender, which could limit their inclusion in the formal economy and more equal opportunities for young women in the country. Another finding is that few specializations related to industry 4.0 technologies are offered by higher education institutions, such as robotics, 3D architecture, analyst and data scientist, artificial intelligence, internet of things, cloud computing, cybersecurity, among others.
One of the recommendations for initiating actions in the Feld of education and training of human talent is, obviously, to integrate a shared vision between different sectors of the country (government, academy and private sector) in educational reforms, including: 1) Curriculum design flexibility, 2) Decrease time length of career programs, short and intensive training programs, and 3) Design educational programs and training for the requalification of the workforce (especially jobless) in new skills and skills in demand. 4) Virtual education promotion.

Keywords: Higher education - El Salvador - Offer and Demand, Scientific and Technologic development - El Salvador, Technology Education - El Salvador.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5377/entorno.v0i69.9559
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11298/1153

 

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References

  1. Centre for the New Economy and Society. (2018). The future of jobs report: 2018. Geneva, Switzerland: World Economic Forum.
  2. Dirección Nacional de Educación Superior, Ministerio de Educación y Gobierno de El Salvador. (2018). Resultados de la información estadística de institución de superior 2017. San Salvador, El Salvador: MINED.
  3. RTI International. (2017). Proyecto USAID de educación superior para el crecimiento económico en El Salvador: Estudio del mercado laboral y su vinculación con la oferta de educación superior en sectores priorizados. Antiguo Cuscatlán, El Salvador: RTI International.