Pertinencia de la oferta de educación superior: caso localidad Barrios Unidos

Abstract

According to guidelines from international organizations such as UNESCO, the relevance of higher education is understood as a key factor in ensuring that academic training responds to the needs of the social and economic environment and contributes to generating real development opportunities for young people. This project evaluates the relevance of higher education offerings in the Barrios Unidos neighborhood of Bogotá, D.C., based on its economic vocation and the academic and employment expectations of eleventh-grade students. Although the Francisco José de Caldas District University does not have a campus in this area, the research is an institutional initiative to learn about the aspirations of young people from different neighborhoods, who constitute a potential group of future students. The objective was to analyze whether the academic programs available to eleventh-grade students in the Barrios Unidos neighborhood respond to local productive dynamics and their academic and employment interests. A mixed methodology with a descriptive and correlational approach was used, which included the territorial and educational characterization of Barrios Unidos, as well as the application of surveys to students and academic representatives to identify barriers to access, level of knowledge about the institutions presents, and professional expectations. The results show a weak link between local academic offerings and the predominant economic sectors. Economic, social, and institutional barriers affecting access to higher education were also evident, especially for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. It was concluded that it is necessary to align educational offerings with the needs of the productive environment and strengthen vocational guidance processes, as well as the links between the educational, economic, and governmental sectors, which would offer trajectories more in line with students' interests and improve their chances of entering, remaining in, and effectively connecting with the world of work.