The University of Lleida (UdL) will integrate dual training into the new Degree in Data Science and is studying the expansion of this model to the degrees of business administration and applied social sciences. This expansion consolidates a methodology that the academic center pioneered at the state level.
The project seeks to internationalize the academic offering through student stays abroad and alliances with multinational corporations. The institution maintains its commitment to linking theoretical learning with real practical experience from the early courses.
The employment contract defines the training relationship
The Bertelsmann Foundation presented on Thursday at the Rectorat building its third report on the implementation of this system at the university. The document highlights that the employment contract acts as the central axis of the relationship between the student and the collaborating organization.
The analysis underlines that the student acquires the status of worker in training throughout the entire process. Companies actively participate in the joint design of the curriculum to ensure that the acquired competencies adjust to the real needs of the labor market.
"Let's not send the student to do internships, but to train directly in companies. That is to say, we transfer part of the training that they stop receiving at the university to the company" - Ferran Badia, professor at the School of Engineering and promoter of dual training at the University of Lleida
This structure implies a structured academic follow-up that guarantees the pedagogical quality of the professional experience. The program managers insist on the substantial difference between traditional internships and this training employment model.
Three hundred students are already studying under this regime
During the current academic year, nearly 300 students from the UdL are participating in dual training programs. This figure reflects the progressive growth of an initiative that combines university teaching with productive activity.
The extension of the model to new degrees such as Data Science responds to the demand for highly specialized technical profiles. The university anticipates that this dynamic will be replicated in other areas of social and business knowledge in the coming academic cycles.