The results of the report “Labour Skills Demand 2020” were presented on August 2nd in Rosario, Santa Fe. The report was developed by INET and the consulting firm ABECE.

The event was a debate between Gabriel Sanchez Zinny, Executive Director of the National Institute of Technical Education (INET), and Claudia Balagué, Minister of Education of Santa Fe. The moderator was the local journalist, Roberto Caferra. Both experts analysed issues of concern regarding the articulation between education and the labour world, and answered inquiries from the attendants.

The report “Labour Skills Demand 2020”, was developed in order to generate information for the design and implementation of education policies that enable and strengthen the articulation with the labour world. The goal was to understand what the shaping of the technical employment demand will be in the next five years. Researchers surveyed the perspective of companies from different economic sectors and geographies about the skills they currently need and shall need in the near future.

According to Sanchez Zinny, the State plays a vital role in the production of information that may, for instance, support people when they make decisions about their educational and career paths. In addition, he highlighted the efforts INET has been making in improving technical professional training and assured that further work is needed in order to articulate the educational offering.

Balagué held that we are facing a major challenge: transforming the educational system so that it fits the needs of the future of work. She also pointed out that the province has been working on a very serious problem: school dropouts, particularly among secondary school students.

Both speakers agreed on the fact that the educational system must adapt and adjust to the current context. Keeping students motivated is a key factor, which requires adding new learning dynamics and strategies, involving science and technology.

There are certain areas where it is expected that a larger number of jobs will be created in the near future, including: automation, technology, energy, quality controls, logistics, hospitality and healthcare, and entertaining. The speakers also stated that students need to acquire skills linked to the ability to learn. As time goes by, career paths will develop in a context of faster changes that demand a great and rapid capacity to learn and adapt.

To watch the entire presentation in Spanish, click here.