DIGITALEMPLOYMENT LANDSCAPE, ICT SKILLS REQUIREMENT AND CURRICULUM DESIGN. CAN EDUCATION KEEP UP WITH THE DRIVERS OF CHANGE?
1 Vasile Alecsandri University of Bacau (ROMANIA)
2 Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iasi (ROMANIA)
2 Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iasi (ROMANIA)
About this paper:
Appears in: INTED2019 Proceedings
Publication year: 2019
Pages: 4480-4489
ISBN: 978-84-09-08619-1
ISSN: 2340-1079
doi: 10.21125/inted.2019.1116
Publication year: 2019
Pages: 4480-4489
ISBN: 978-84-09-08619-1
ISSN: 2340-1079
doi: 10.21125/inted.2019.1116
Conference name: 13th International Technology, Education and Development Conference
Dates: 11-13 March, 2019
Location: Valencia, Spain
Dates: 11-13 March, 2019
Location: Valencia, Spain
Abstract:
This paper presents a point of view concerning the digitisation influence on the jobs and skills, on one side, and on the necessity to update the curriculum permanently, on another side, as these processes are perceived at Vasile Alecsandri University of Bacau (VAUB), Romania.The findings and the proposals follow the work of a multi-specialized team, carried out during the development of the project “Efficient Communication and Educational Counseling for Integration on the Labour Market” (ID CNFIS-FDI 2018-0223, acronym CECIM), funded by the Ministry of National Education from the Institutional Development Fund 2018.
The starting point of our study is the following question: “How can we successfully overcome the barriers that obstruct the rapid update of curriculum, given the constraints that we face?”
The structural, technological and cultural changes manifesting at global level obviously force us to rethink the educational curriculum design in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). However, the local and regional economic actors play an important role in shaping the workforce landscape and, consequently, the skills requirements. Moreover, demographic and socio-economic factors in the North-East Development Region of Romania (NUTS code RO21, where VAUB is located) heavily impact on the educational outcomes. Finally, the national regulations for the accreditation of study programmes set the frame for the curriculum design in HEIs.
The paper has two interconnected objectives. The first issue of interest is to put the drivers of change, as defined in 2016 by the Institute for the Future, in relation with the environment that VAUB faces. The second issue of interest is to identify what generic and specialized ICT skills have to be introduced in the curricula of the university study programmes. Following the empirical study undergone during the lifetime of the project, several proposals to make the curriculum update efficient and effective are advanced.