Teres Vallès. PHOTO: Manuel Castells

Teresa Vallès, dean of Humanities at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), presented to students of the Master's Degree in faculty (MUP) the professional profile needed by the organizations of the future. For Vallès "the University today cannot be satisfied with training focused on economic benefits because the crisis has shown us that this model does not work".

In the current scenario, the humanistic training is more necessary than ever and universities must take advantage of the new challenge that is presented. The professional profiles that have triumphed in the last decade have temporarily put aside humanism, which is essential to have a positive impact on our environment, and have focused on economic growth without thinking in the long term deadline.

The aim is to train competent professionals who are also socially committed. "It is a vital obligation to bring out all the human potential within us and to commit ourselves to work and to life," explained Vallès, for whom the task corresponds to both students and teachers. Achieving human excellence depends on it.

Employability and values

With this new vision, he does not propose to put aside employability, nor the search for recognition, but warns that focusing only on that is dangerous. "We study a certain degree program to earn a living and have a place in society, but if we do it from a more complete perspective and introduce the inherited values, experiences and culture we will be much more competent professionals in all aspects."

But can things be changed, and what skills are required to do so? The professor was optimistic and defended contagion as tool to achieve this. "If we are able to understand the people in front of us, show empathy, critical spirit, capacity for dialogue, autonomy, interest in others, solidarity, we can achieve change and above all we will be coherent with ourselves." 

The group of future teachers who had the opportunity to discuss with this expert in Catalan Philology and literature teacher, was convinced of the need to put aside the individualism that has hindered the growth staff of some workers in recent years.