Tendencias y oportunidades laborales en el campo ambiental para egresados en el año 2024: un estudio integral y orientado hacia la inserción profesional

Abstract

This document is structured and organized as follows: The first chapter establishes the reference framework, which contains the theoretical framework addressing such relevant topics as: environmental opportunities in the 2024 period and their application in the labor and environmental sectors, social responsibility, and university social participation. This is followed by the conceptual framework and the institutional framework, which covers topics such as the sector where the methodological instrument will be applied and the development of the thesis. The legal framework allows this thesis to be endorsed at the level of environmental laws, international agreements, and articles of the Political Constitution of Colombia. On the other hand, chapter two outlines the methodology that will be used to address the work in order to meet the objectives set, in addition to the results and their respective analysis. The third chapter presents the conclusions and recommendations of the respective thesis and finally presents the bibliography consulted. In order to develop and substantiate the thesis, various sources have been identified and used as a basis for identifying and analyzing data that provide security and confidence in the information. The main sources are the National Higher Education Information System (SNIES), the Ministry of National Education, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Labor Observatory for Education (OLE), the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), the United Nations (UN), the International Labor Organization (ILO), and the System for the Prevention of Dropouts in Higher Education (SPADIES), among other sources. It is important to mention that SNIES is a means of identifying data related to the number of graduates in annual and semester periods, in addition to the Labor Observatory for Education (OLE, 2024) which produces technical documents and detailed reports on the employment data of university graduates, and the Ministry of National Education, which allows us to identify various data in order to observe the behavior of graduates in different areas of knowledge and its application in employment issues. Therefore, our thesis will focus mainly on the challenges and skills presented in the environmental sector. The research methodology is presented in detail, as well as the instrument that was implemented for the management and processing of the desired results. It is important to highlight that one of the main challenges faced by university students is academic dropout, which prevents them from completing their studies. As mentioned by SPADIES, "the indicator stands at 24.15% for the university level. This result indicates that approximately one in three students who enter the system do not complete their studies" (SPADIES, 2024). This is due to a lack of sufficient financial and welfare resources to complete their studies. That is why one of the objectives of the methodology phases is to determine, during the course of the work, the opportunities and labor demand for graduates in the environmental field, specifically from the Francisco José de Caldas District University. When analyzing labor demand specifically in the environmental sector, several points can be highlighted that determine the focus of environmental careers, such as identifying environmental impacts and aspects that allow us to identify which activities impact the environment in a sector such as business, and ensuring stable jobs, in addition to the limitations and opportunities faced by graduates of environmental careers. That is why applying the knowledge learned throughout the degree program allows for alternatives to reduce pollution, in addition to mitigating the actions that cause it, taking into consideration certain key concepts that will help in the identification and analysis of the research. Finally, these issues are of significant importance to both students and graduates of the Francisco José de Caldas District University. For this reason, we seek to continue an exhaustive study on the implementation of new tools, such as databases and detailed analysis of graduate reports by sector in the country, so that future professionals are better prepared and can cover or adapt to the topics required by the labor market. Based on the above, this thesis is of great relevance to different fields, which makes the analysis carried out valuable in order to provide excellent results and understanding of the topic it addresses.