Dual training to stay in the companies or open your business in Ecuador
The 19-year-old Brenda Guevara's study modality is dynamic. The first eight weeks of the school year he attends the institute for classes. The remaining eight go to a company to put the acquired knowledge into practice.
Two years ago, the young woman opted for a career in Industrial Mechanics at the Instituto Superior Tecnológico Central Técnico, in Quito. It is one of the 31 technical and technological establishments in the country.
The two types of training are offered there. The first is traditional, only 240 hours of pre-professional practices are carried out, the rest of the time they are inside the classrooms. The second is dual, the hours of practice increases to 1, six times more.
She chose the second alternative that has been applied for more than 20 years in the country, through the Ecuadorian-German Chamber. The model has the support of universities, institutes, unions and companies.
Six races are offered at the Technical Center. Of them, two are traditional and four have this modality and dual training. They are Printing and Offset, Industrial Mechanics, Electricity and Child Development. In total there are 500 boys. They are part of the 7 young people who attend the 381 centers in the country.
Its rector, José Luis Flores, comments that this model has gained ground, because young people can develop comprehensively. "70% of boys are hired after their internships in companies."
That is why he has made an effort to make agreements with public and private firms, so that the boys are linked to them. To date they have achieved 87.
May Prom is one of them. In this firm, Brenda practices, who gets up early every day to comply with the hours of 09:00 to 17:00 (8 hours). The time is equal to that of your co-workers. "I do not receive a salary, but I gain experience."
She, for example, aspires to work in the family business and strengthen it. "I want to build my workshop for the manufacture of spare parts for cars."
Jefferson Jima and Michael Paucar, 25 and 23, respectively, have a similar dream. They want to open their offset printing business and compete with the big firms.
They acquire responsibilities, such as keeping schedules and doing their jobs well, says Francisco Córdova, head of Production at Edinacho, a company that opened its doors to six young people.
What happened during the pandemic? The emergency did not stop the dual formation. Rather, the Chamber of Industries, Production and Employment (Cipem) took the opportunity to manage and open two new careers with the University of Azuay (UDA) in Sales and Logistics; they will start next month.
In total confinement, some students stopped their practices, but after the restrictions were released, they returned, explains Andrés Robalino, executive director of Cipem. "The impact was less."
Currently, 12 careers offered by six institutes and universities are within dual training. In addition, 90 firms from Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca and Manta; and about 70 students are part of this model.
Henry Méndez graduated two years ago under this model. He studied Industrial Food Processing at the UDA and practiced at La Italiana.
The entities not only support by opening the doors for internships, but also pay a third of the tuition for the German certification of the degree. "Companies pay to train new staff and join the processes," says Robalino.
With this, companies are committed to improving productivity and competitiveness, and the results have been quantified. According to the Cipem platform, hiring a dual worker represents between three and four times more productivity.
Of every 100 graduates, 93 are hired in the companies where they did their internship. "7% unemployment occurs because students decided not to continue working, start their business or migrate."
In university degrees, the unemployment rate is broader. According to INEC figures, 62 out of 100 graduates do not have a job.
For Miriam Briones, Director of Continuing Education at UDA, this training is "an opportunity to learn by doing".