The Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences and Ibermatica have created a tool called “Focusing Talent”

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The Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences and Ibermatica have created a tool called “Focusing Talent”

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The Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences and Ibermatica have created a tool called “Focusing Talent”

The purpose of the project is to help students in their 4th year of Compulsory Secondary Education choose the direction of their studies. The project received funding from the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.

2020·11·13

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The Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences of Mondragon University and the Ibermatica organization have created a computer tool called “Focusing Talent” to help students in their 4th year of Compulsory Secondary Education choose the direction of their studies. The tool was created as part of the project entitled Education for the Digital Society. Toward the Use of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data funded by the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.

The “Focusing Talent” project sprang from the concern that students have difficulty choosing the direction of their academic career, with the result that 20.4% of students abandon their chosen studies before earning their degree. According to the study, one of the reasons for this is that students lack self-knowledge about their own interests and skills and therefore have difficulty finding their bearings. In addition to this concern, the promoters of this research believe that it is important to foster knowledge about the labor market: opportunities, needs, skills, etc. Thus, the purpose of this tool is not only to focus talent, but also to strengthen ties between education and the working world.

QUESTIONNAIRE

The “Focusing Talent” tool is based on an online questionnaire that includes 156 items and serves to identify student interests. Using Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, the students’ responses are crossed with the skills and needs of the labor market, and students are presented with educational options that are consistent with their interests and skills. The program also takes into account sociodemographic data such as labor profile saturation, available academic offerings, and the distance between the educational center and the participant’s residence.

It is recommended that the questionnaire be used by students in their 4th year of Compulsory Secondary Education since the results will help them to choose areas on which to focus in their senior studies and professional training.

• Questionnaire: Focusing Talent

INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS

Once the questionnaire has been completed, the student is presented with options for his or her academic future consisting of data that combine his or her skills with the needs of the labor market: general profile, sub-profile, current situation of the labor market, study options, etc.

The general profile is divided into four broad groups: Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Mathematics, General Interest, and No Interest. These profiles are further divided into sub-profiles.

The student will then receive information on the current situation of the labor market focusing on a specific profile and keeping in mind both an analysis of the profile that best matches the student’s interests, and information on saturation and work opportunities in and around the student’s place of residence (using the province of Gipuzkoa as a reference point). Finally, the participant will receive information on academic offerings to develop a profile consistent with his or her interests and on the distance between his or her place of residence and available offerings.

This study has been tested in 17 schools in Gipuzkoa to date. The complete dossier on the study together with a quick guide to using the “Focusing Talent” tool will soon be sent to all schools in Gipuzkoa.

• Guide: Focusing Talent (in Basque) (PDF)