Experiencias exitosas

In terms of the organization of re- sources, the competency-based approach particularly influences the selection and in-service training of personnel and the physical and material organization of train- ing, as well as the management of fluc- tuating enrollments.

Recruitment, in-service training and instructional support

In the competency-based approach, teachers must be especially proficient in the trade or occupation and have solid psychopedagogical competencies, since they must ensure that the students acquire skills, adopt certain attitudes and enhance both their perceptions and their knowledge. This means that the educational insti- tutions must recruit teachers who are competent in both pedagogy and the tech- nique in question. Since it is especially difficult to recruit teachers with both types of competence, it is essential that in-service training activities be provided. Training activities on the competency- based approach should be offered to all interested parties, whether teachers, management personnel or instructional support personnel, for purposes of greater consistency. Field tests in colleges and vocational education centres reveal that, if they are not familiar with the new

instructional methods associated with the competency-based approach, teachers can feel at a loss. The quality of teaching suffers, thereby endangering the very foundation of the system, which is cur- rently undergoing significant changes.

The implementation of a new program of study is a good opportunity to provide the entire staff with in-service training. If they do not speak the same language or have the same understanding of the new approach and its requirements, the differ- ent participants may consider themselves at cross purposes rather than as working together to ensure students’ success.

The purchase and management of material resources

The effective management of material resources is exceedingly important if the training of individuals is to be valued, espe- cially in the competency-based approach. Material resources include teaching, com- puter and technical materials, equipment, tools and raw materials.

Teaching must correspond as much as possible to the work situation described in the program of study. The reproduction of an actual work environment, even on a small scale, usually requires considerable material resources, which can be relatively costly. However, it is essential that students have access to the equipment and mate- rials needed to acquire practical learning and produce the goods or services typical of the trade or occupation.

Similarly, the educational institution must ensure that the material resources available meet the requirements for the evaluation of competencies, an exercise

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that usually requires a demonstration of the student’s ability to carry out a task in its entirety.

To minimize training costs, especially in so-called highly technical programs, the educational institution should show imagination and innovation at the pedago- gical level. A number of institutions are ingenious in their approach to acquiring very expensive equipment.

There are many options available for the purchase and management of material resources, for example:

• partnerships between the school and the business involving the loan of equip- ment, the donation of materials and practicum positions

• equipment rental

• the sharing of resources among various institutions

• visits to businesses or workshops in businesses

• the use of multimedia teaching materials • work-study programs

• the use of prototypes or simulators • the use of recovered or recycled materials • the partial marketing of products manu-

factured during training

Educational engineering based on the competency-based approach encourages educational institutions to remain on the cutting edge of technology. Teachers must always be on the lookout for innovations in their field, so that they can carry out activities while taking into account the development of labour market practices. The educational institution must also plan for the periodic maintenance and

replacement of material resources, while finding the new resources required to remain in the vanguard of technology. It must promote the establishment of a true culture of maintenance.

The physical organization of training

The competency-based approach to teaching requires a new physical orga- nization of facilities bearing a greater resemblance to businesses than to con- ventional schools.

Consider the Multimedia Integration program, which involves learning how to work in a team. In this case, the computer workstations should be grouped together in islands so that students can commu- nicate with each other while working at the computer.

Simulating the work situation at the school may be impossible, as is some- times the case in the mining and forestry sectors. In these cases, work-study pro- grams should be set up with businesses in the sector until new techniques are devised to support innovative strategies, which is almost inevitable.

Management of fluctuating enrollments

To optimize its material resources, the educational institution may choose a variety of methods of organization, for example:

• starting and completing studies at differ- ent times, depending on the individual • starting a program in the middle of the

school year or at another time

• extending the business hours of the educational institution

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Decisions related to organization may, for example, involve making training avail- able to a greater number of people, making optimal use of equipment or reducing costs. These choices sometimes require strict management of schedules and facilities.

2.4.3 The Performance of Training