Professional adapt to the labour market amidst new paradigms in society

12 March 2015

Interesting news was recently published in the media about Jaques Lewcowicz, founding partner at Lew ´ Lara\TBWA – one of the largest advertising agencies in the world, hired as an intern at Google. At the age of 70, the renowned professional decided to work for the greatest online search engine, after speaking to 200 people at their Brazilian office, beginning a great relationship. "Lew" wasn´t working with advertising for almost a year, since he sold his shares in the Agency, and now he decided to learn even more in life and chose this skill exchange opportunity provided by the project.

The partnership called "Lew at Google", expected to last six months, between the advertiser and Google, translates a scenario that is not so distant from the reality that general professionals face. People are constantly looking for new learning opportunities or new professional visions. Would this organizational paradigm change also affect professionals? Often, the standards required are not completely acceptable. Theory and knowledge can be quite different from what actually happens practically for both parties.

A genuine way to see or notice an opportunity, as happened with Lewcowicz, can also be observed with the professional path that Jose Augusto Marques de Almeida chose. Jose got his Dentistry bachelor´s degree and decided to sign up for an electromechanical technical course at SENAI to solve a frequent problem at his Dental Clinic. He didn´t have adequate infrastructure to receive people with reduced mobility and went through embarrassing situations. At the age of 50, he began the technical course and has now developed technology that makes it possible to perform dental care services with patients in their own wheelchair, upon a platform.

Attitudes like this have changed not only the lives of those who choose them, but also the options and benefits for the entire society. Challenges appear in various situations and we must adapt to new environments. There are many challenges on a daily basis that also imply changes, including factors like competitiveness and dissatisfaction and even a lack of leadership to conduct processes that require continuity for employee work. This affects the professional and personal lives of many.

In this scenario, some people end up choosing undergraduate courses, for example, stimulated by the area they work in. However, after a while they end up realizing that despite the adjustments and experience, it´s not exactly what they like. There are also cases where people switch professional areas due to difficulties in the labour market.

Professional skills education can be positively introduced in this context, with objectives that include not only training secondary level technicians, but also qualifying, re-qualifying and re-professionalizing opportunities for workers with any educational or experience levels in the market, as well as permanent technological updating and secondary and tertiary certification.

The Brazilian Basic Education Census reveals that enrolments for secondary-level professional education demonstrated growth between 2008 and 2013, reaching more than 1.4 million students. A study conducted for SENAI with professionals that completed courses at the institution shows that one year after obtaining their diplomas, technical level professionals increased their income by 24%. The survey, conducted between 2010 and 2012, monitored half of almost 40 thousand people that completed courses in 2010 and pointed out that 72% of the former students found job opportunities in the first year after their graduation.

With qualified professionals, it is possible to increase the amount of specialized labour in the Brazilian industry. This is proven with the success achieved by many professionals that completed technical courses and currently occupy leadership positions in large companies. A great showcase for students and those interested in finding out more about this type of education is WorldSkills São Paulo 2015, the greatest vocational education and skills excellence competition of the world, which will take place from 11-16 August 2015 at Anhembi Park in São Paulo.

Brazil will host the WorldSkills Competition, held every two years since 1950, for the first time. A partnership between the National Service for Industrial Training (SENAI) and WorldSkills International will be responsible for organizing the event, with the objective of developing and introducing professional skills education even more in Brazil, through a Competition between young skilled professionals from more than 60 countries and regions. More than 1,200 registered Competitors are expected, divided into 50 different skills related to trades, technological, and service-oriented professions. The estimated public for the event is 250,000 people.

Cristiano Zannini

Marketing and Communications Coordinator for WorldSkills São Paulo 2015

Related News

WorldSkills Village will promote networking of stakeholders during the Competition

Mar 20, 2015, 2:50 PM

During WorldSkills São Paulo 2015, the event will feature areas and activities to promote interaction and connections between…

São Paulo Secretary of Tourism receives a visit from WorldSkills São Paulo 2015 Organizing Committee

May 13, 2014, 1:14 AM

The WorldSkills São Paulo 2015 Organizing Committee had a meeting with Wilson Poit, Secretary of Tourism for the City of São…

Volunteer programme enhances the 43rd WorldSkills Competition

Jul 1, 2015, 5:36 PM

800 volunteers have been selected for the volunteer programme at WorldSkills São Paulo 2015.