The Role of Superior EducationInstitutions on Post-Secondary (Non

Superior) Education

José Machado (1), jmachado@dem.uminho.ptSofia Pelayo (2), SPelayo@citeve.pt

Eurico Seabra (1), eseabra@dem.uminho.ptCristina Reis (3), creis@aftebi.pt

A. Caetano Monteiro (4), cmonteiro@dem.uminho.pt(1) University of Minho, Mechanical Engineering Department, CT2M, Campus of Azurém, 4800-058

Guimarães, Portugal(2) Textile Technological School, Quinta da Maia, Rua fernando Mesquita 2785, 4760-034 Vila Nova

de Famalicão, Portugal(3) Technological Association for the Professional Education of Beira Interior (AFTEBI), Quinta

da Corredoura 6201-907 Covilhã, Portugal(4) University of Minho, Mechanical Engineering Department, CITEPE, Campus of Azurém,

4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal

Abstract

In Portugal, like in other European countries,people with strong professional competenciesare encouraged to obtain higher education, nomatter their age or their social condition.With their strong professional background andsome theoretical aspects linked to scientificand technological domains, they become morehelpful for the companies and for the societythey belong. Considering these facts, thePortuguese Government developed specificlegislation to attract new students for thetechnological higher education system. Thislegislation, intends to attract students olderthan 23, and also aims the improvement oftechnological education after the secondaryschool level. Pursuing this goal theTechnological Specialization Courses (TSC)were created.

The TSC are post-secondary, non superiortraining courses that will lead the studentsto obtain level 4 of professional training,according the 85/368/CEE decision of the

European Union Council, published on theEuropean Communities official journal. The TSCalso allow people from different professionalbackgrounds to get technological training. Thebest students are allowed to access highereducation in technological domains (basicallyin Engineering fields) and/or to the jobmarket relied with the country's technologicalindustries. Before the beginning of a TSC, thestudents are submitted to technological teststo determine their profile, which will betaken into account on the initial training,before the starting of the TSC.

In this paper, the success of TSC courses inPortuguese context is demonstrated, and theimplementation of a successful partnershipbetween University of Minho and theTechnological Association for the ProfessionalEducation of Beira Interior (AFTEBI) is shown.The illustration of the successful partnershipis done by presenting a case study of a TSC inIndustrial Maintenance where the best studentscan pursue their studies in University ofMinho, in the Mechanical EngineeringDepartment in order to obtain a Mechanical

Engineering Degree. It is, also, discussed andhighlighted the main role of UMinho (asSuperior Education Institution) at differentlevels of this post-secondary (non superior)education.

Keywords: Engineering Education; ProfessionalTraining; Higher Education

I. INTRODUCTIONIn the late seventies in Portugal the

“Industrial Schools” have been extinct,under the assumption that equalopportunities meant a uniform nontechnical secondary level formative pathfor everybody. This transformation of thenational education system under theMinistry of Education led to therarefaction of the public offer oftechnical teaching, but also to thedepreciation of the status of technicalprofessions. To compensate therarefaction or even lack of technicianswith formal instruction to fulfill theavailable jobs, industry used to hirepeople that was initiated in theprofession as apprentices, most of thetime in situations that configurenowadays illegal infantile work [3].

From the information recently collectedrelative to professionals' availabilityresulted that maintenance and machineryoperator positions presented a deficit ofpersonal, both in quantity and quality[1]. It became evident that there werenot enough Programmers/Operators of CNCMachines, Metalworkers, Turners, Welders,Mechanicals, Metrology and QualityControl Technicians, Product DevelopmentTechnicians and other typical technicalprofessions to fulfill market demand [2].The main lacks in adequate professionalsto fulfill industry needs occur inspecific technical positions in thosesectors, mostly technicians forundergraduate positions.

Also very few people respectedeligibility criteria and the rulesgoverning the quality certifications,

safety and professional approvalrequirements of candidates’ curricula,which turned the human resources scarce.The recent world wide economic slow downincreased the difficulties for the lessqualified, for they are less versatile tochange profession, to perform new tasksor even to create new jobs.

By the beginning of the nineties thenatural generation replacement led theshortage of skilled technical andtechnological intermediate levelprofessionals in the industrial andbusiness areas to a level that could nolonger be ignored. Also the PortugueseGovernment inscribed competitiveness asone of the fundamental objectives for theCountry in its Program, along withfomenting the social cohesion.

To achieve these objectives it isimperative that qualified people beavailable, for that is in fact thedecisive factor for a sustainable longterm progress, in particular in fastchanging societies that are supported byknowledge and information.

Furthermore the installation of newtechnically demanding industries, and thecompetition for skilled people in Europeshortened even more the availability ofskilled professionals in Portugal. Theindustry modernization in course and thechallenges imposed by the fast changingreality demand that the new professionalsbe prepared not only to fulfill thepresent needs of the companies, but alsoto be prepared to permanently adaptationthemselves to respond to emergingprofessions in areas that nowadayspresent already inadequate profiles.

In Portugal, because of remaining loweducation and professional qualificationlevels that still continue tocharacterize the great majority of thepopulation in active age, in spite of theprogresses already done in this domain inthe last decades, this isue assumesspecial relevance.

It is then imperative to increasePortuguese skills and qualifications tocreate a potential for new opportunitiesand to promote both the people intrinsicdevelopment, and in consequence, thesocial, cultural and economical growth ofthe country. More qualified humanresources generate larger competitivenesscapability along with greater socialcohesion. The educational system must beable to better qualify the youths,fighting in particular the high taxes ofearly school abandon (nowadays only halfof the citizens aged between 20 and 24has successfully finished the secondaryeducation level). Also, to solve theinadequacy of the present skills of thework force to the emerging industrialopportunities, the formative offer mustgive new opportunities to adults, andpromote school recovery and professionalqualification, namely to those that arenow facing unemployment because theirjobs (even when skillful) vanished .

A careful analysis points to thedevelopment of solutions on technologylearnig under a solid technical teachingby trained professionals, to allow thegraduates' integration in available workpositions in present industrialcompanies, and to guarantee the adequateupdating of the professionals alreadyworking, offering the possibility for theacquisition of new skills so making iteasier their conversion and professionalvalorization.

In order to achieve the goals proposedin this work, the paper is structured asfollows: section 1 is devoted to thepresentation of the facing challenges; insection 2 the characteristics of thePortuguese Technological SpecializationCourses (TSC), are presented; in section 3is discussed the relationship between theUniversity of Minho and the TechnologicalAssociation for the Professional Educationof Beira Interior (AFTEBI); followed bythe presentation, in section 4, of themain characteristics of the successful TSC

on Industrial Maintenance; in section 5 itis discussed the success of this TSC andthe impact on the caption of students forhigher education; in section 6, it isdiscussed the role of Superior EducationInstitutions on post-secondary (non-superior) education; finally, on section7, there are presented the obtainedconclusions

II. TECHNOLOGICAL SPECIALIZATION COURSESThe Portuguese Government assumed, in

the "New opportunities" initiative, theminimum referential formation level goalto achieve 12 years for every youngster.This goal was assumed in couple with thegoal of increasing the rate of studentsattaining technological and professionalcourses at the secondary education levelto at least half the younger population.The bet is not only that the newgenerations may reach higher educationlevels, but also that they get adequateprofessional qualification prior to enterthe job market, namely by providingprofessional education oriented toprofessional profiles and skills that arein deficit and highly required.

Knowledge through professional teachingand formation must be conciliated withthe qualified professional insertioncomponent. Seeking the access to highereducation and equal opportunities, andenvisaging the engagement of more youngand adults with the professionaleducation and formation system, theGovernment assumed, in its programcommitments, to enlarge the formationoffer along the life to new publics. Itwas also decided to involve the highereducation institutions in the expansionof the post-secondary formation, in orderto grant the articulation between thesecondary and superior teaching levelsand the system’s accreditation, forsuperior studies pursuit purposes, of thepost-secondary formative coursesspecialization.

To materialize these commitments, thepresent law promotes a deepreorganization of the technologicalspecialization courses at the levels ofthe entering access, the formationstructure and the conditions to accesshigher education institutions for thegraduates of this system.

Being aware of the Portuguese lack ofskilled professionals, the Ministrysupported the creation of a set ofTechnological Schools intending thepromotion of initial formation intechnological areas for youth, in a postsecondary level. These courses lateracquired the designation of TechnologicalSpecialization Courses (TSC), grantingLevel IV of professional qualificationthrough Technological SpecializationDiplomas (TSD).

The TSC are especially encouraged insectors or areas in which the companiesare strongly lacking competenttechnicians, giving the youths a largerwarranty of immediate employability,after the conclusion of theapprenticeship.

The technological specializationcourses are post secondary non superiorlevel grades, that seek the acquisitionof the IV level of professionalformation, as defined by the n.85/368/CEE Decision, of the EuropeanCouncil, of July 16, that was publishedin the n. L 199 EC Official Newspaper, ofJuly 31st , 1985.

Level IV of professional formation isobtained through the conjugation of ageneral or professional secondary levelformation, with a post secondarytechnical formation and it ischaracterized by:

Being a high level technicalformation;

The resulting qualification includesknowledge and abilities belonging tothe superior level;

Mastering the scientific foundationsof the different studied areas isnot demand, in general;

The acquired knowledge and abilitiesin this level allow the assumptionof autonomous responsibilities inconception, direction or management.

These courses aim to join the formationand learning components to the job marketdemand. The materialization of theseobjectives is done not only by thepromotion of partnerships betweenformation schools, higher educationinstitutions, but also by involvingbusiness responsibles and employers,seeking to direct learning activities toeffective professional insertion, and toassure actual recognition of the subjectslearned for higher education studiespursuit purposes.

In the analysis of the Idea Proposalsfor the creation of new TechnologicalSchools under PEDIP II (II ProgramaEstratégico de Dinamização e Modernizaçãoda Indústria Portuguesa), the secondStrategic Program for the Dynamizationand Modernization of Portuguese Industry,a concern emerged to use already existentinfrastructures in order to make the bestuse of the incentives that they had beenattributed previously, namely under thepreceding PEDIP program.

On the other hand, most schools are notsupported in autonomous infrastructures,and so a larger operation flexibility ispossible, including the continuous accessto new technologies, methods andformation methodologies, through thecelebration of collaboration protocolsbetween Institutions, avoiding theduplication of investments in the sameareas.

This Specialization Courses presentseveral advantages for the youth. Courseswith strong technological component,lectured by competent technicians are nowoffered under cross collaboration amongTechnological and Professional

Associations, such as AFTEBI, withinstitutions of the Portuguese SuperiorLevel System, such as the Universities ofBeira Interior and Minho, and thePolytechnic Institutes of Guarda, CasteloBranco and Viseu.

III. PARTNERSHIP “UNIVERSITY OF MINHO / AFTEBI”AFTEBI (“Associação para a Formação

Tecnológica e Profissional da BeiraInterior”), is an Association forTechnological and Professional Formation,created in 1997 in the interior center ofPortugal, with 12 years of experience inthe formation of intermediate levelprofessionals for the industry in variousknowledge areas.

The University of Minho (UMinho),founded in 1973, is located in the Minhoregion of Northern Portugal, a regionwith a strong tradition ofenterpreneurship, essentially of smalland medium-sized businesses. TheUniversity of Minho was strategicallyplanned with the surrounding socio-economic environment in mind, aiming tocontribute to its development.

By 2001 AFTEBI made an invitation in tothe University of Minho to enlarge theactivity of AFTEBI to the North of theCountry. This partnership is nowtranslated in several cooperation forms,formalized through protocols to encompassthe objectives:

Take advantage of the Universityhuman resources (pedagogiccoordination of the courses andlecturing) and infrastructures(pedagogic facilities andequipments);

Prosecution of studies of the AFTEBIgraduates in the 1st cycle superiorcourses promoted by the Universityof Minho.

Later, in 2002 the University of Minhojoined the group of AFTEBI Associates, inthe quality of Adherent Member, so making

it easier an active intervention in theAssociation activities. The University ofMinho joined the social structure ofAFTEBI in May 2007, now occupying thePosition of Secretary of the GeneralAssembly.

Due to the large spectrum of formativeareas in which AFTEBI is acting, not allof the Technological SpecializationCourses are running in the North of theCountry, but all of them are validated bythe UMinho not only for studiesprosecution, but more importantly, forscientific approval of the knowledgedomains lectured.

Actually, the intervention of UMinhohas grown significantly in recent years,not only by the enlargement of theformation areas as well as by the numberof students that attend the formationcourses, as it may be observed Figure 1. and Figure 2. Additionally, theemployability rate of AFTEBI students,graduated in partnership with Universityof Minho (Figure 3. ) is high.

Figure 1. Number of Students per year and perTSC

Figure 2. Total number of students attendingformative courses per year.

Figure 3. Employability rate of AFTEBIgraduates in 2008

A. ProtocolsAs previously referred, the partnership

begun in 2001, with the celebration ofthe collaboration protocol between bothInstitutions, under which the access toresources of University of Minho byAFTEBI was possible. These resourcesincluded the availability of pedagogiccoordination along with lecturing and theuse of technological infrastructures,that were been defined by AFTEBI to beessential to grant the conditions for thecourses success.

With the first graduates in 2003, aprotocol of studies pursuit was signed,establishing the rules and molds for thegraduates may access the superior levelcourses promoted by the University ofMinho. This protocol has been updatedwhenever any of the institutionsintroduced changes in their courses, the

most recent update having happened inJanuary 2008, following this procedure.

B. Technological Specialization CoursesIn the current year of 2009, are active

the following TechnologicalSpecialization Courses:

Textile Ultimation; Industrial Maintenance; Water and Effluents Treatment.In the outburst of the scholar year

2009/2010, it is foreseen that theformation areas be kept, with a probablereplacement of the textile area by twopossible courses to be promoted:

Industrialization of FashionProduct;

Fashion Commerce.The decision will always be made in

agreement with the expectations of theindustrial area employers, because one ofthe main objectives of this formation isthe placement of intermediateprofessionals in the industry, besidesthe youths' initial qualification andtheir pursuit of studies.

IV. TECHNOLOGICAL SPECIALIZATION ON INDUSTRIALMAINTENANCE

A Specialist Technician in IndustrialMaintenance is a professional that,autonomously or integrated in a team,makes the diagnose, prepares, plans outor accomplishes several tasks ofcorrective, preventive or “on condition”maintenance with the objective ofguaranteeing the maximum readiness of theequipments and industrial facilities, forthem to produce with quality andguaranteeing the execution of theproduction programs.

AFTEBI Technological SpecializationCourse professionals are graduated with ahigh level of technical specialization inthe domain of the Industrial Maintenance(Figure 4. ) with a strong practicalcomponent in the areas of specialty of

the mechanics, electricity, electronicsand automation.

The reinforcement of the technicalcapacity in these areas constitutes oneof the fundamental objectives for themodernization of the industrialcompanies, and these graduates will beprepared to:

analyze technical documentation ofdiverse nature (sketches, drawings,facilities’ diagrams, manuals,manufacture catalogs, standards andprocedures) relative to theequipments, systems or facilities ofmechanical, electrical or electronicnature;

execute outlines and drawings offacilities and connectionselectromechanical, electrical orelectronic circuitry, as a supportto the maintenance activity;

prepare the tools, materials,components, and parts that arenecessary for the development of themaintenance routines;

execute the installation ofequipments or systems ofelectromechanical, electrical orelectronic nature;

accomplish the operational,functional or officinal rehearsalsin electromechanical, electrical orelectronic equipments, systems orfacilities, so assuring theirconformity with the specificationsof the project and qualitystandards;

follow the performance of theequipments, systems or facilities ofelectromechanical, electrical orelectronic nature, in agreement withthe established in the maintenanceplan;

propose modifications in equipments,systems or facilities ofelectromechanical, electrical orelectronic nature, taking in accountthe deviations between the rehearsal

values and the pre-establishedparameters;

execute interventions and to repairthe equipments, systems orfacilities of electromechanical,electrical or electronic nature inorder to improve their operationalcharacteristics;

propose alterations to the layout ofthe systems, productive or operatingequipment, with the objective ofimproving their performance;

elaborate technical reports aboutthe accomplished interventions;

do maintenance plans, based in thehistorical reports of theequipments, systems or facilities ofelectromechanical, electrical orelectronic nature;

cooperate with the productive area,with the objective of optimize theresources and to reduce unproductivetimes;

detect mistakes and technicaldeviations that may happen, toanalyze them and to proposesolutions;

develop technical relationships withthe suppliers of equipments, toanalyze the adaptation needs of thetechnologies to the specificities ofthe company;

analyze the equipment needs andprovide their acquisition;

promote and apply preventivemaintenance practices.

Figure 4. Formative plan for Industrial

Maintenance TSC.

The students that successfully finishthe Technological Specialization Coursein Industrial Maintenance have anenlarged base of knowledge that allowsthem to develop the following activities:

to read and to interpret technicaldocumentation;

to identify the constituent parts ofthe equipments, systems orfacilities of electromechanical,electrical or electronic nature;

to select and to use tools,measurement and control instruments,materials, components and parts;

to develop sketches, outlines andtechnical drawings with or withoutcomputer aided tools resource;

to read and to interpret theparameters of the equipments,systems or facilities ofelectromechanical, electrical orelectronic nature;

to test equipments, systems orfacilities of electromechanical,electrical or electronic nature;

to apply standards and regulationsof quality, environment and healthand safety systems at work;

to regulate and to calibrateequipments, systems and/orfacilities of electromechanical,electrical or electronic nature;

to apply diagnose techniques and torepair failures;

to adapt to the evolution of theprocedures, materials andtechnology;

to work under schedule pressure infunction of the objectives, actingand deciding quickly in criticalsituations;

to transmit to the users thetechnical specifications of theequipments, systems and/orfacilities of electromechanical,electrical or electronic nature;

to apply the knowledge oftechnologies of information andcommunication in the maintenance andto use software for technicalmanagement of maintenance;

to elaborate and to plan outprograms of preventive maintenanceof equipments, systems and/orfacilities of electromechanical,electrical or electronic nature.

By the conclusion of the TSC plan offormation, it is expected that thestudents possess a set of competences,not only at the level of the theoreticalknowledge acquisition but also at thelevel of its practical implementation.

The TSC of Industrial Maintenance hasthe duration of 1560 hours 600 hours ofwhich in industrial context. Theformation has a strong practicalcomponent, 75% of the total hours of thecourse being supplied inlaboratorial/officinal context. For thisformation the facilities of the UMinho,of the Technological CITEVE (CentroTecnológico para a indústria Têxtil e doVestuário) – a Portuguese technologicalcenter for textile and clothing industry,and Industrial companies are used.

Students are stimulated to developknowledge interests at the levels know-how to do, know-how to be, seekingcreativity and innovation. Also they aretaught about industrial needs for workerswith their profile in order to assuretheir own dynamic development, thatcollaborate by guaranteeing theapprenticeship of all the students thatbenefit in consequence of good jobperspectives.

The Pedagogic Coordination of TSC ofIndustrial Maintenance, from theDepartment of Mechanical Engineering of

the UMinho, is supported on a group ofspecialists and technicians of each areathat come not only from educationalsystem, but also from industrial origin.Program contents and methodologies areperiodically checked and adjusted ifneeded with the objective of meeting thereal needs of the industry. In the partof the formation plan that corresponds tothe Technological Formation is presented.In this map some notations are used, moreprecisely:

in column (3) the total hours ofwork are indicated as defined inPortuguese Decree-Law n. 42/2005,from February the 22nd;

In column (4) is indicated – amongthe total hours of work – the directcontact hours (with teacher),according the definition presentedat point d) of the article 2nd of thePortuguese Decree-Law n. 88/2006,from May the 23rd;

In column (5) is indicated – amongthe total hours of direct contact –how many hours are dedicated topractical applications, namelylaboratory, workshops and/or Projectaccording the point 2) of thearticle 15nd of the PortugueseDecree-Law n. 88/2006, from May the23rd;

In column (6) is indicated thenumber of ECTS, complying with theEuropean Credits Transfer System, accordingthe Portuguese Decree-Law n.42/2005, from February the 23rd;

The main factor of success of this TSCis connected, fundamentally, with thevicinity of the industrial business andthe correct detection of their need forintermediate technicians, and to theestablishment of partnership protocolswith Entities, Schools and Companies,that guarantee the high patterns ofquality of the supplied formation.

The success of this TSC may be measuredby these technicians' high demand in the

industry being translated, consequently,in high employability rates.

Figure 5. Technological component plan forIndustrial Maintenance TSC.

The main factor of success of this TSCis connected, fundamentally, with thevicinity of the industrial business andthe correct detection of their need forintermediate technicians, and to theestablishment of partnership protocolswith Entities, Schools and Companies,that guarantee the high patterns ofquality of the supplied formation.

The success of this TSC may be measuredby these technicians' high demand in theindustry being translated, consequently,in high employability rates.

V. DISCUSSION – TSC ON INDUSTRIAL MAINTENANCEThe industrial network of the north of

Portugal is characterized by industrialcompanies of small or medium-sizededicated to the textile, mechanics,shoemaking and wood industry. Thesecompanies have been very active andversatile being competitive so far.

Nowadays, these industrial companiesare object of profound changes due to thenational and international actualsituation, particularly related toglobalization of the economy. Thesecompanies are performing a step of greattransformations - from a situation wherethey have based their competitiveness onnon-skilled low cost labor – for a newreality where they must adopt a strategyto develop and produce innovativeproducts with high level of added-value.

In this context the technologicalformation of workers, more or lessqualified, is the key for the success andespecially the technological formation ofwell trained technicians for operatingand maintaining the industrial equipmentsis crucial. These equipments aretechnologically sophisticated and allowthe companies produce high added-valueproducts. In this scenario, anytechnological formation course inIndustrial Maintenance is, only by itsexistence, a guaranteed success.

The existence on a region like Minho(in the northwest of Portugal) of higherinstitutions (UMinho) and ProfessionalSchools (ETT) and the cooperation work ofthose institutions for common objectives(improvement of the performance of theregion’s industry) based on theirresources sharing (physical and humanresources) is a strategic and usefulservice for the industrial companies, forthe region’s people and respectivequality of life, and for the country.

The TSC on Industrial Maintenance ofthe ETT is coordinated, from thepedagogical point of view, by Universityof Minho. This fact brings the guaranteeof the quality and success of thecontents/programs of the curricular unitsthat compose the formation plan. Also,some technological Curricular Units areassured by teachers from University ofMinho. UMinho shares with ETT someteachers, highly qualified, fororganizing and teaching sometechnological curricular units, relatedwith key areas of Industrial maintenancefield. This is, clearly, an added valuefor the TSC on Industrial Maintenance.Also, the knowledge of the industrialreality, by UMinho’s teachers, is veryimportant to adapt the pedagogicalcontents of the curricular units,directed to the real needs of theindustrial companies. This solidknowledge of the industrial reality is

the result of many years of cooperationbetween UMinho and industrial companiesof the region.

Due to the teaching load, the TSC onIndustrial Maintenance is speciallyfocused on aspects linked with thepractical application of the theoreticalaspects of the studied maters. As theseprofessionals are going to be – some ofthem – responsible for maintenance teamson their industrial companies, thetheoretical aspects (even if 75% of thetotal hours of the course are supplied inlaboratorial/officinal/industrialcontext) are carefully highlighted ontheir formation.

The aspects relied to Competence-BasedEducation [4] are highly adopted, duringtheir formation. The concept ofcompetence-based education may facilitatelearning [5] in a society of rapid changeand complexity. The solid theoreticalformation and the posterior applicationon practice [6] gives, to these studentsafter the conclusion of the TSC, strongskills on domains related with IndustrialMaintenance.

The complementary, on their formation,in several areas like mechanics,electronics, informatics and automationand industrial robotics (Figure 5) give,to these students, complete skills thatare highly valuated and searched by theindustrial companies. Usually there arevery good maintenance technicians buttheir basic formation is on only one ofthe above mentioned areas. The fact thatin this TSC the formation has a solid andcomplete coverage, considering all theareas of the field of industrialmaintenance, gives them a basic formationwith a high level added-value. Nowadays,more than in the past, the industrialequipments incorporate complex devicesthat interact between them, and anyoperator/maintenance technician thatneeds to interact/repair with thesedevices must have a complete and solid

background at several and complementaryfields related with IndustrialMaintenance.

In the practical/training classes, asin the project developed in industrialcompanies, advanced teaching techniquesare used [7], namely advanced formalismsand informatics tools in order to give tothe student a faster and more detaileddescription of the reality that they willfind at work in real world. These toolsare very important for technicians oflevel 4 that will assume, in a nearfuture, responsibilities of leadership ontheir companies.

As a result of this reality, presentedabove, the students of the TSC onIndustrial Maintenance are well acceptedand searched by industrial companies andthey reveal to have the necessary andadequate skills adapted to their needs.

But the real capabilities and skills ofthe technicians, that finish the TSC onIndustrial Maintenance, are not onlyinteresting for industrial companies.UMinho, too, is a possible choice forthem, in order to continue theirformation in the domain of MechanicalEngineering.

As a strategic University, UMinhointends to have the best students in allthe domains. In the particular case ofMechanical Engineering - the possibilityof having students with a practicalbackground acquired and based oncompetence-based education concepts -highly focused on the Bologna declaration[8] becomes interesting to attract thisstudents, namely the best ones of the TSCon Industrial Maintenance, for theirgraduation on Mechanical Engineeringdomain.

As a formalization of this idea hasbeen signed between UMinho and AFTEBI aagreement that considers this possibilityand allows the access - to the IntegratedMaster on Mechanical Engineering ofUniversity of Minho - of the five best

students of the TSC on IndustrialMaintenance. This agreement respects andis in accord with the Portuguese Decree-Law n. 88/2006 of May the 23rd. ThisDecree-Law defines the rules for the TSCsand provides the possibility, for thestudents that finish their TSCs, ofcontinuing studying on Higher EducationInstitutions.

The selection of the students, foraccessing the Integrated Master onMechanical Engineering of University ofMinho, is done taking into account theaverage classification that they haveobtained in the end of their TSC onIndustrial Maintenance. Recognizing theprevious quality formation of thestudents, it is, also, previewed thepossibility of some equivalences ofCurricular Units, when the students areadmitted to the University. The actualdecision any possible Curricular Unitequivalence belongs to the Director ofthe Integrated Master on MechanicalEngineering and it is regulated by thepoint 27th of the Portuguese Decree-Law n.88/2006 of May the 23rd. This decision istaken, from an objective point of view,mainly based on the analysis of thestudents’ curriculum. This possibility ofequivalences is one important point tomotivate the best students to pursuittheir studies in the University.

In the scholar year 2008/2009 the fiveplaces available (for the IntegratedMaster on Mechanical Engineering ofUniversity of Minho) were completelytaken and concurred, for these fiveplaces, twelve students. That shows theinterest, of the students, for continuingtheir studies on the University and theutility of this strategy to attractdifferent publics for Higher EducationInstitutions.

Being this year the first year that theexperience is carried out, the firstsemester evaluations show that thesestudents have had satisfactory results. Amore complete evaluation, about the

performance of these students, will bedone in the final of the first year; untilnow, it was not possible because the firstyear is running. Moreover, the firstconclusion that can be confirmed is thatthese students – because they have a basicbackground on several domains, relatedwith mechanics, electronics, informatics,automation and industrial robotics – havemore facility to understand some aspectsand concepts related with the domain ofMechanical Engineering, when explained tothem by the first time, and when comparedwith the other students that have not thisbasic background. It must not be forgottenthat this students, despite having a basicbackground on several technologicalfields, are performing students too (theywere the best of the TSC on IndustrialMaintenance) and they can be an addedvalue for the respective industrial units,after their graduation.

VI. THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITY IN THE POST–SECONDARY(NON SUPERIOR) LEVEL TEACHING

The model so far presented is still inits earlier implementation days.Concerning the particular case of theUMinho/AFTEBI partnership in IndustrialMaintenance, only two courses have beencompleted, and a third is going to finishthis year. Anyway a discussion may startabout the role that the High Educationinstitutions are expected or should playin the definition and support of thepost-secondary training/educationalactivities. Also it may be important towiden the look to the entire educationalsystem, with particular emphasis in thedeveloping technological subset thatnowadays is growing under the umbrellaand support of ministries other than theEducation Ministry, like the Ministry ofLabor or the Social Affairs, alongsidewith the conventional educational system,ruled by the Education Ministry.

In despite of the equal opportunitiesrhetoric of the late seventies that leadto technical formation disaster in

Portugal, the technical courses madetheir way simple because they are a basicneed in a developed society.

The experience reported above is onlyone case in the Portuguese realitynowadays. Different social and technicalenvironmental realities must certainly beencompassed by different solutions, andthe risk of wrong decisions is alsodiminished by the diversified offer thatcan be designed this way.

The University may act in diversifiedgrounds in respect to thelearning/teaching activities. As a matterof fact it must be stressed that theUniversity is responsible for thescientific preparation of the bulk of theteachers of the system, but the researchactivities committed to the Universitiesin Portugal are also responsible tofoster development, in particular intechnical issues. Any discussion abouttechnology, at any level, should involvethe main actors in the country, eitherfrom the side of the end users of theskills (the companies), from theproducers of knowledge (Universities andPolytechnic Schools) and also from theproviders of trainees and ultimatebeneficiaries of the system (thesociety).

According to IQF, (Institute forQuality in Formation) this learning modelmust be structured in a group of phases,processes and support instruments fromthe conception of programs, courses andpedagogic solutions, that can be exploredand used in different ways, that is, as afunction of the needs and readiness forthe entities and professionals thatintervene in the formation.

The formation including apprenticeshipin context of work, guaranteed by theSchools through a Pedagogic Coordinationof the courses that contacts and selectsthe housing companies, usually interestedin the technicians under formation givenis a guarantee not only to employment,

but also to adequate choice ofqualifications to be acquired.

The diploma obtained in the technicalcourses engaging the possibility ofaccessing Higher Education Studies,granted by written agreements between theinstitutions involved, allows analternative via to access higher level.This alternative may lead in future to amore equilibrated choice at the lowerlefels, by defusing the anguish of aprecocious decision.

As a potential receiver of the traineesthat may wan to proceed studying, andtaking in account that some formationcredits acquired in the TechnologicalCourses may be considered for prosecutionproposes, the University must be involvedin the actual design of the courses.

However limited nowadays, the number ofstudent positions offered by theUniversity may increase as the Coursesbecome more consolidated and recognizedby the society.

It seems that the issues linked to theevaluation, are fundamental for theunderstanding of the effective role ofthe formation while instrument ofdevelopment(Lima Santos & Pina Neves,2001). It assumes special importance inthe materialization and regulation of theformation actions from the evaluationbeing a systematic dynamic and intrinsicprocess, to the formative process,contributing to the promotion of theirglobal success

The formation must be conceived fromthe start considering the needs, todesign the formative proposal, toorganize the pedagogic sequences, inorder to bring together the technical andpedagogic resources and to preparesupport equipments.

In this context, Parry (1997) referredthat a formation activity performed wellhappened when “the right trainees (takingin account the process of selection made)develop the knowledge, the competences

and the necessary attitudes (contents ofthe formation), through means, strategiesand appropriate teachers (process), in acertain time and in a certain space(context), fulfilling the initialexpectations (…) (objectives and expectedresults for the acting).”

VII. CONCLUSIONSAmong the reasons motivating the

efforts of launching and supportingtechnological specialization courses, themost important is undoubtedly the highnumber of skilled people that is neededevery year and that must undergo atraining process.

It is well known that experienceimproves performance. Although the amountof experience needed to achieve a certainlevel of performance varies with theindividual and personal characteristics,some experience is always desirable.

Creation, improvement and/or adaptationof methodologies that improve adequacy tothe needs felt by the companies will notonly improve the employment rates amongyoungsters, but also may allow tominimize or overcame the inadequacy ofskills occurring due to technicalknowledge change.

In this context, the TSCs provide somesolutions:

From the student's point of view, abetter formation by the end of thesecondary level is provided,enlarging the capacity to access theJob market;

From the companies’ point of view,the availability of new graduatesenlarges the access to a morequalified work force;

From the formation schools point ofview, as for instance AFTEBI, theaccomplishment of its missionresults in a better and widerprofessional formation of a largerset of people;

From the higher educationInstitutions (like the UMinho), thecontribution to the qualityimprovement of the technologicalspecialization courses of (throughtheir pedagogic coordination) and bythe attraction of its best studentsfor continuation for superiorstudies in a very important area forany developed country, engineering;

From the national point of view, thecreation of conditions to improvethe technological capacity of thecountry and also a sustainabledevelopment of the Portuguesesociety (either at the level of thecompanies by the availability ofmore specialized technicians, or bythe fact that some of them mayaccess higher education, that,otherwise, would not be possible).

The University must be involved withthe forming entities and the companies inthe definition of the global objectivesto reach and activities to develop, andalso in the assessment of the Courses, inorder to assure the technical quality ofthe formative proposal, its coherence androbustness.

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