UTESA and the new era of Lifelong Learning
Frank Rodríguez and Lilly Rodríguez, President/Chancellor and Rector of UTESA, describe the transformation process that has led the institution to restructure and modernize its educational models and methodologies to adapt to the challenges of the new era.
Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago (UTESA)
Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago (UTESA) is a prestigious institution of higher education in the Dominican Republic, founded in 1974. Since its creation, it has been a reference in offering innovative and quality academic programs, focused on satisfying the needs of the labor market and promoting the integral development of its students. With several campuses distributed in different regions of the country, UTESA has established itself as one of the largest and most diversified universities in the Dominican Republic. It offers a wide range of careers in different areas of knowledge, including engineering, health sciences, social sciences, administration, education, among others.
The challenges
Adaptation to new technologies
UTESA was faced with the need to adapt quickly to the new technologies that were transforming all industries. This implied a constant updating of its academic programs, teaching methods and educational tools.
Preparing for constant change
The job market was evolving at a rapid pace, and the university faced the challenge of preparing its students for an ever-changing professional environment, where skills learned during the degree could become obsolete in a few years.
Strengthen the connection with the productive sector.
Establishing and maintaining strong links with industry and the productive sector was becoming increasingly vital to ensure that academic programs were aligned with the real needs of the market and to facilitate the labor market insertion of graduates.
Integration of Continuous Learning in the institutional culture
UTESA needed to integrate the concept of lifelong learning into its institutional culture, not only for students, but also for faculty and administrative staff, creating an environment that values and promotes continuing education.
The solution
In the first steps of this implementation, a deep reflection and restructuring of the teaching-learning methods has been carried out, seeking to modernize and adapt them to the new needs of the 21st century. This has involved the integration of advanced technologies and the adoption of more flexible and student-centered pedagogical approaches, creating an environment conducive to continuous learning. One of the keys has been to offer programs that not only focus on the acquisition of technical knowledge, but also promote reskilling (acquisition of new skills) and upskilling (improvement of skills), thus enabling students to keep up to date and respond effectively to the constant changes in the world of work.
The results
Business dynamism
UTESA University has strengthened its connection with the business sector, collaborating closely to meet its specific demands and needs.
Graduates of international caliber
The institution has redesigned the profile of its graduates, focusing on continuous updating and exploration of global markets and topics, which has significantly expanded its international projection.
Improving student employability
The involvement of students in lifelong learning has resulted in a notable increase in their employability, achieving integration into the labor market faster than their peers.
Become a
Lifelong Learning University®!
Leave your contact information so that one of our consultants can contact you soon.