It is recommended that you have successfully completed the course Sociology of Organizations in the second year of the degree

This is an optional subject for the fourth year, second semester. It is part of the subjects that make up the Mention Organization of Work and is included in the field of Sociology. It is expected that at the end of the course, the students can:
										
											
										
											- Know the arguments that support the importance of training to gain access to employment and to progress to the professional field.
										
											- Provide a vision of the different approaches to skills and qualifications, as well as their similarities and differences.
										
											- know the various different ways to obtain competences and qualifications and analyze their interaction.
										
											- Understand the relationship between training and employment and its specification in the occupational structure.
										
											- Analyze the problems of matching between the training obtained and the qualifications and skills required in the in the workplace.
										
											- These objectives are complemented with the acquisition of basic skills in the search and analysis of data, as well as those that enhance teamwork and self-organization in their own work.

The program is structured around four main themes:
										
											
										
											I- CONCEPTUAL ELEMENTS AND THEORETICAL APPROACHES
										
											
										
											I.1. The sociological perspective about the qualifications at work
										
											
										
											I.2. The importance of qualifications at work. Approach to the concepts of qualification and competences.
										
											
										
											 
										
											
										
											II-KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY, TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION AND CHANGES IN THE QUALIFICATIONS
										
											
										
											II.1. The so-called "knowledge society" and its weaknesses. Training and qualification requirements in the "knowledge society". The European Employment Strategy and skills
										
											
										
											II.2. Technological innovation and its impact on the qualifications: increase, reduction or polarization?
										
											
										
											II.3. The definition of skills and qualifications in the company. Organization of work, business requirements and their impact on qualifications
										
											
										
											 
										
											
										
											III-ACQUISITION OF QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCES
										
											
										
											III.1. The formal mechanisms. Educational and training instruments and the relationships between training and employment. Integration of training mechanisms for employment: modular training and accreditation of competences.
										
											
										
											III.2. Importance of the "National Qualifications FRamework". Occupational training and continuous training and their connection to the "Framework". Combination of training elements and professional practices: occupational workshops, School-Workshop and other training initiatives for employment.
										
											
										
											III.3. The informal mechanisms for obtaining competences and qualifications. The professional experience, the process of socialization and the life experience.
										
											
										
											 
										
											
										
											IV-THE ADEQUACY OF TRAINING WITH THE QUALIFICATIONS
										
											
										
											IV.1.The adaptation problems: attitudes and aptitudes.
										
											
										
											IV.2. Adaptation actions at the local level. Training mechanisms and their adaptation to territorial employment needs
										
											
										
											IV.3. Towards an integrated training model? Challenges and deficiencies of the Spanish and Catalan model

The objectives of the course will be achieved through an active and participative methodology, combining the master classes with methods that involve the active participation of the students.
										
											
										
											In this way, the development of the course is based on the following groups of activities:
										
											
										
											a) Master classes.
										
											
										
											The teaching staff carries out explanations of the main concepts and ideas for each unit of the syllabus of the subject. This allows the students to reach the bases of the thematic fields taught, completing them with the personal study of the subjects covered.
										
											
										
											b) Seminars and Presentations in class.
										
											
										
											The seminars consist of the presentation, discussion and debate of selected readings for the content of the subject. At the beginning of the course, teachers will provide the mentioned readings and the calendar of presentations and discussions of them.
										
											
										
											The class will be divided into groups and each one of them will present the relevant reading on a specific date. The group responsible for the presentation may use audiovisual media (power point preferably) and prepare a brief report by the lecturer on the reading done. The rest of the students will have read the reading presented and will participate in the debates about it.
										
											
										
											c) Work in a group
										
											
										
											Groups of three or four people will be made. Each group will have to do a work that combines the reading materials with data related to the subjects of the subject. The work will consist of the elaboration and analysis of a training plan for a company.
										
											
										
											d) Individual work.
										
											
										
											Each student will have to prepare for an individual written test that will be developed at the end of the academic year.

The assessment is carried out throughout the course, partly individually and partly in a group. It consists of the following elements:
										
											
										
											1) Individual evaluation. Written test
										
											
										
											It is carried out through an individual written test at the end of the second semester. The test evaluates the theoretical and conceptual knowledge obtained by students, as well as their capacity for analysis and critical reasoning.
										
											
										
											This test involves 45% of the final grade. But it will be necessary to obtain a 3.5 out of 10 in the test in order to be able to pass the subject.
										
											
										
											 
										
											
										
											 2) Group work.
										
											
										
											Each group, of three or four people and chosen by the students themselves, will prepare a work that will be based on the elaboration and analysis of a training plan for a company.
										
											
										
											Searching for information and its treatment is an important part of group work. The connection with the theoretical aspects treated in the subject is also a significant aspect of this work.
										
											
										
											Group work has an incidence of 40% on the final grade.
										
											
										
											3) Presentations in class and seminars.
										
											
										
											The seminars consist of the presentation and debate of selected readings based on the content of the subject.
										
											
										
											The class will be divided into groups and each of them will be responsible for presenting a relevant reading for the subject on a specific date. At the beginning of the course, the teaching staff will provide the selected readings and the calendar of presentations of the same.
										
											
										
											The group responsible for the presentation may use audiovisual media (power point preferably) and will prepare a brief report by the lecturer on the reading done. Students who do not present a specific reading, will have read it and participate in the discussions about it.
										
											
										
											The presentation in class (10%) and the presence and participation in the debates on the rest of the groupings not presented by the group in question (5%) has a total incidence of 15% on the final mark.

Bibliography

COMPULSORY READING

The compulsory course readings correspond to the seminar readings. These readings are available online

 

 

 

FURTHER READING

-Bertrans, O. (1997), Evaluación y certificación de competencias y cualificaciones profesionales, París. Instituto Internacional de Planificación de la Educación (IIPE), UNESCO.

-Bessant, J. (1992), “Microelectrónica  cambio en el trabajo. Experiencias en la aplicación de la microelectrónica”, a AAVV, Tecnologías avazadas, microelectrónica y cambios en el trabajo, el comercio, las oficinas y los servicios de salud, Madrid, Ministerio de Trabajo.

-Butera, F. (1988), “El diseño conjunto de la tecnología, la organización y el desarrollo de las personas”, a Sociología del Trabajo nº 5.

-Castillo, J.J. (comp.) (1991), La automación y el futuro del trabajo: tecnologías, organización y condiciones de trabajo, Madrid, Ministerio de Trabajo.

-Castillo, C. I Terren, E. (1994), “De la cualificación a la competencia. Elmentos para una reconstrucción epistemológica”, a Cuadernos de Relaciones Laborales nº 4.

-Cejas, M. (2004), La formación en la empresa. ¿Un factor clave para el desarrollo de las competencias del trabajador?, trabajo de investigación de doctorado, Facultat de Ciències Polítiques i de Sociologia, UAB..

-CEDEFOP (2009),Skills for Europe’s future: anticipating occupational skill needs, Luxembourg,Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.

-CEDEFOP (2009), De nouvelles comptétences pour de nouveaux emplois:anticiper les compétences requises et adapter l’offre de compétences aux besoins du marché du travail (resumen en francés del texto inglés), Luxembourg,Office for Official Publications of the European Communities

-CEDEFOP (2010), Skills supply and demand in Europe: Medium-term forecast up to 2020, Luxembourg,Office for Official Publications of the European Communities

-CEDEFOP (2010), Futura oferta de cualificaciones en Europa: previsiones a medio plazo hasta 2020 (resumen en español del texto inglés), Luxembourg,Office for Official Publications of the European Communities

-Comisión de las Comunidades Europeas (2008), Nuevas Capoacidades para Nuevos Empleos. Previsión de las capacidades necesarias y su adecuación a las exigencias del mercado laboral, COM, Comunicación de la Comisión, Bruselas.

-Fernández Steinko, A. (2001), “El sabor agridulce de los grupos de trabajo” a Cuadernos de Relaciones Laborales nº 18

-Fernández Rodríguez, C. (2007), Vigilar y organizar. Una introducción a los Critical Management Studies, Madrid, Siglo XXI

-Köhler, H-D. i MartínArtiles, A. (2011, 3ª ed.), Manual de la sociología del trabajo y de las relaciones laborales, Madrid, Delta.

-Giret, J.F.; López, A. y Rose, J. (2005), Quelles formations pour quels emplois?, París, La Decouverte.

-Green, A. (2011), “Modelos de formación a lo largo de toda la vida y la “sociedad del conocimiento” en Europa, a Papers, Revista de Sociologia nº 96

<spanstyle="font-family: Times New Roman;">-Homs, O. (2008), La formació professional a Espanya. Cap a la societat del coneixement, Barcelona, Obra Social Fundació La Caixa

-Lassnigg, L. (2006), “Aprendizaje permanente, de la escuela al trabajo y las transiciones del mercado de trabajo”, a Toharia, L. (ed.), Los mercados de trabajo transicionales: Nuevos enfoques y políticas sobre los mercados de trabajo europeos, Madrid, Ministerio de Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales.

-Leney, T. et. Al. (2004), Achieving the Lisbon Goal. The Contribution of VET. Report to the European Comission, London, Qualification and Currirulum Authority

-Lope, A. (2006), “Innovación tecnológica, gestión de losrecursos humanos y cualificación en la empresa: del discurso optimizador a las prácticas controladoras, a Revista de Estudios Económicos y Gerenciales nº 2 año 4

-Lope, A. y otros (Grup d’Estudis Socològics sobre la Vida Quotidiana i el Treball-QUIT-) (2000), ¿Sirve la formación para el empleo?, Madrid, Consejo Económico y Social.

-Lope, A. (1996), Innovación tecnológica y cualificación: la polarización de las cualificaciones en la empresa, Madrid, Consejo Económico y Social..

-Lope, A. i Martín, A. (1993), “Cambio técnico y recualificación. Formación y adquisición de las cualificacions en la empresa, a Sociologia del Trabajo nº 19.

-Martín, A. y Lope, A. (1999), ¿Sirve la formación para tener empleo?, a Papers, Revista de Sociologia nº 58.

-Martín, A. y Lope, A.(1994), Dinàmica de las cualificaciones y políticas de recursoshumanos”, a Economía y Sociología del Trabajo nº 21-22.  

-Planas, J. (2011), La relación entre educación y empleo en Europa, a Papers, Revista de Sociologia nº 96.

.-Rolle, P. (2005), “Asir y utilizar la actividad humana. Cualidad del trabajo, cualifiación y competencia”, en AAVV, Lo que el trabajo esconde. Materiales para un replanteamiento del anàlisis sobre el trabajo, Madrid, Traficantes de Sueños

-Salais, R. i Villeneuve, R. (2003), Europe and politics of capabilities (mimeo).

-Sala, G. (2004),Reconocimiento de competencias laborals: el caso del sector bancario en el Estado español, tesis doctoral, Departamento de Sociología, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona.

-Sala, G. i Planas, J. (2009), “Retos teóricos e implicaciones metodológicas del enfoque de competencia laboral”, a Sociología del Trabajo nº 66.

-Sanchís, E. (1989), “Cambio técnico y cualificaciones. Ultimas contribuciones a un debate siempre abierto”, a Sistema nº 90.

-Sennet, R. (2000), La corrosión del caràcter. Las consecuencias personales del trabajo en el nuevo capitalismo, Barcelona, Anagrama.

-Verd, J.M. i Massó, M. (2007), “Las competencias y el trabajo invisible en el trabajo administrativo de consultas externas hospitalarias”, a Papers, Revista de Sociologia nº 83.

-Zukersteinova, A. i Strietska-Ilina, O. (eds.) (2007), Towards European Skilss Needs Forecaating, Cedefop Panorama Series nº 137, Luxembourg