Written by Renan Vega Cantor
The term applied to education skills has rapidly become a fundamental support of the educational strategy of neo-liberalism. A review of some documentation about it, originated in the remotest corners of the world, is an amazing repeat of that term. Use it in the United States, European Union, countries of Eastern Europe, Latin America, Southwest Asia and where we imagine. But it is good to ask what should be such unanimity and what interests lie behind the widespread use of the notion of educational skills.
1. The skills and work requirements of capitalism
worth mentioning that, in educational terms, the use of the term competence is very recent. The first time I used was in 1992 in the United States when the Secretary of Labor, the country formed a committee of experts developed a document entitled "What work requires of schools." Note that the report was prepared by the Secretary of Labor and not the Ministry of Education which shows from the beginning who determines the importance of skills. In this document states that the education system should provide a set of skills that students face the challenges of the world of work (1). According to the Commission called SCANS (Secretaries Commission on Achieving The Necessary Skills), Department of Labor United States, improving the quality of education that aims to reduce life skills training for school dropouts, generates competent individuals in the market work and as a result, products and services provided by the United States more competitive in the global market. The report stresses that to achieve high performance in companies should develop new methods that combine the demands of new technologies with the skills of the worker. Operational decisions must be taken at the level of the production line, using the skills of workers to think creatively and solve problems. Production goals depend on the human factor, that workers perform comfortably with technology and complex production systems, being able to work in teams and with an unquenchable thirst to continue learning (2).
It is explicit, then, the relationship between changes in the workplace and a new educational training that considers the same time management skills, ability to learn and the ability to group work. From there he derives a direct relationship between technological change and work organization and between the transformation of production processes, conditions of employment and training of "human resources". From that moment you begin using the notion of competencies rather than qualifications, as they "feared that the old defense of working conditions in collective agreements with its strictly defined categories based on functions and tasks, conspires against the flexibility and versatility of the workers. There is now talk of 'skills' as the full potential of talents and skills that have to be captured, recorded, used and promoted by the company "(3).
Similarly, in 1997 the European Council in Amsterdam recommended "giving priority to the development of social skills and adjustment of workers to labor market developments." And one of the educational emissaries European Union, he adds, just in case, that the school is no longer important to the transmission of knowledge as "knowledge has become, in our societies and economies evolve rapidly, a perishable product. What we learn today will be obsolete or even superfluous day tomorrow "(4).
ECLAC, UNESCO and other similar bureaucratic entities could not stay behind in this statement of principles on the desirability of developing skills in line with the emergence of 'knowledge society', changes in the labor market, the global competitiveness and other figures of speech like that and soon made their statements on the subject (5). Nevertheless, the number one global standard-bearer of skills, as something rare, has been the World Bank, which in its latest report on education indicates its scope: "The concept of competencies has several characteristics. Competencies are closely related to the context, skills and values \u200b\u200bcombine interrelated, can be taught (although you can also buy them outside the formal education system) and occur as part of a continuum. Possession of key skills contributes to a better quality of life in all areas. " Then it defines the meaning of competence, understood as economic competitiveness, to perform in the global economy and global society requires mastery of technical skills, interpersonal and methodology. Technical skills include skills related to literacy, foreign languages, mathematics, science, resolution problems and analytical skills. Among the interpersonal skills include teamwork, leadership and communication skills. Methodological skills include an ability to learn on their own expense, to assume the practice of lifelong learning and able to face the risks and change (6).
He also notes that "the foundations of education for the knowledge economy consists of a set of basic knowledge and skills. In addition to providing the tools for effective participation in the economy and society of knowledge, these skills are associated with significant social benefits "(7).
2. Educational neoliberalism: Fight to the death between competent and incompetent
the term in English language skills are at least three meanings: an individual has an aptitude for something (for music, art, languages); particular situation or not to do with someone (you compete or not compete), and alludes to fight, fight or dispute (as when one speaks of a sporting event). However, skills are understood as the World Bank and other agencies of contemporary capitalism is basically refers to the last meaning of the word in Castilian, ie the fight and confrontation, specifically in the area of \u200b\u200bthe world economy. To assume that cutthroat competition between countries, businesses and individuals is necessary to change the national education systems to bring them into line with economic and employment changes of recent times. In this perspective, the General Education of the people is not important, because it is not functional to capitalism. Now they must develop skills to promote the adaptability of the "human resources" to the global competitive market. At a time when what matters are the skills and employability attacking the role of general education instruction, questioning their role as transmitters of knowledge. Exalt, in that direction, teaching doctrines that propose the "skills assessment" because they "privilege of competition -" integrated and functional knowledge, expertise, know how to be, namely to achieve, to allow, with a range of situations, adapting , solve problems and implement projects "- as opposed to knowledge." (8). At this moment it would not be important to have a common culture, since the crucial thing is to access new knowledge and respond to unexpected situations.
Who can wonder that the competences stridently claimed by enterprises are found first training in information technology and communication, but no system to train engineers, but much less for children and youth in cities from school are immersed in an environment dominated by screens, keyboards and mice, to respond positively to the "orders" of a computer and adapt to permanent changes in the software. As this is the basic objective of the introduction of Information and Communication Technologies, ICTs in school, because it means investing in both equipment and technical resources but not in improving the infrastructure of schools, or renew their desks, or hire new teachers. However, ICT also plays a role in ensuring maximum flexibility for future professional workers so that they continue to form throughout life, ie, are perpetually updated 'from cradle to grave', renewing their skills and abilities to serve the capitalists. If all workers have learned to use the Internet to access information, it is very easy to pressure them to maintain their level of professional competitiveness during weekends, holidays or nights using computers and connections they pay out of pocket. This is the meaning of an advertisement Sysco Systems group which sees a man sitting on a bench on the Web with a laptop, which read: "learn how to reduce your training costs by 60 percent" (9).
From this derives the matter of flexibility, one related key competencies. If the labor market has been flexible-word with which to understand that workers have no fixed position throughout life, unions are prohibited and dominated the fight of all against all for survival, education must also be flexible and adaptable to the requirements of the labor market. This is the reason why in recent times has emerged in the market of educational knowledge, the notion of flexibility. This is used to hold the worker from their own training to be competent and functional to capitalism. The approach of continuing education in each country should be that natural resources are flexible, profitable, competitive and serve their business. Workers who do not will no longer be employable, even be a "human resources" but a waste, and this for one simple reason: for capitalism today is competent but useless tomorrow. In this logic, only be competent worker who possesses the means to adapt their knowledge to the needs of the market. In this regard, the Commission submits: In the heart of knowledge societies, the primary role rests with the individuals ... The determining factor is this capacity that human beings possess to create and exploit knowledge effectively and intelligently, in a constantly changing environment. To take full advantage of this ability, individuals must have the will and the means to take charge of their destiny (10).
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