The upcoming tertiary education: an example

The tendency to provide higher education both university degrees and vocational qualifications seems to be consolidated within the Catalan university system. This is a coherent approach at two levels:

• Since the first half of the 1990s, the University System in Spain has tended to widen the number of university degrees, often based on fields of knowledge and / or professional profiles on a technical basis (podiatry, engineering, social work, physiotherapy, etc.)
• The labor market in Spain demands technical, intermediate profiles. On several occasions, reports have been published in which it is shown how the industry cannot meet certain professional profiles while many college graduates are experiencing serious difficulties in finding a job

Taking these trends into account, it is easy to understand how the University tends to offer technical and professional degree programs also, blurring the traditional boundaries between university education and vocational training. This trend is unavoidable and it will accelerate in the coming years, especially when those following a  professional training find a job faster, thereby without wasting any life-long learning option, the achievement of a university degree included.

Within the Catalan University System, two cases can be mentioned: the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, public, and the Universitat de Vic – Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic – UCC), private.

Focusing on the latter case, UVic – UCC is a well-connected university to its environment through the campuses in Vic, Manresa and Barcelona. It is an institution flexible and adaptable to the socio-economic environment. At U · TRANS we had the opportunity to participate in the process of conceptualization of what is now UVic-UCC Campus Professional, incorporating vocational training to a university environment. UVic-UCC Campus Professional offer training courses in the fields of the university expertise, covering training needs for companies and several economy sectors, providing the technicians required by the local market.

Thus, the UVic Campus Professional – UCC is designed as an integrated environment for higher education and facilitates potential pathways between the fields of vocational training and University degrees. More specifically, UVic – UCC Campus Professional offers:

• 3D Animation, Gaming and Interactive Environments
• Applications Multiplatform Development
• Food Processes and Quality
• Dental Prosthesis

Concluding,  UVic – UCC is a Catalan university committed to create integrated higher education environments, offering both vocational training and university degrees, making it accordingly to business demands, increasing the social prestige of vocational training and collaborating in human resources qualification.