Diagnosis of the self-evaluation process of the programs offered by the National Apprenticeship Service (SENA)

Abstract

In the current context, there is a prevailing need for a quality higher education system, therefore, SENA, to comply with national regulations regarding quality, has designed an integrated SIGA quality system that includes: Quality Management, Management Environmental, Information Security, Safety and Health at Work and Energy Efficiency; however, as regards the self-assessment of training programs, it is incipient. Therefore, this document presents the results of the diagnosis of the self-evaluation process for programs taught by the National Learning Service (SENA). To achieve this, applied practical research focused on diagnosis was carried out (Vargas Cordero, 2009), with the following specific objectives: i) Analyze the characterization of the institution's integrated management system to learn about the program self-assessment process; ii) apply a retrospective group interview to 10 officials in charge of the self-assessment process to understand the institutional context; iii) apply the methodology proposed by Holistic Analytics for Learning and Operations (HALO) to diagnose the quality of information and its flow in the self-assessment process of training programs. From the investigation, it was possible to conclude that the institution has isolated actions related to the self-evaluation of the training programs, which classifies the self-evaluation process as a transversal activity to the institution and collateral to the missionary processes, downplaying it and leaving it without a clear regulatory and operational framework. It is recommended, then, the implementation of a quality and self-assessment policy for training programs, as well as clear processes and procedures with reports, evidence and a battery of management and compliance indicators duly articulated to the processes already established in the institution that, In addition, they account for the legal nature, identity and tradition of the institution without ignoring on the one hand, the national regulatory framework, but considering institutional autonomy in accordance with article 77 of Law 115 of 1994 and article 28 of Law 30 of 1992. In turn, the adoption of the ISO SG Educational Organizations 21001 standard is proposed, which focuses on the management of educational organizations under quality principles. Although it is an independent standard from ISO 9001:2015, it is also recognizing the advances of educational organizations that have implemented it for their management systems (ICONTEC, 2023), as is the case of SENA, which could optimize time and institutional resources.