Single Occupational Classification for Colombia (CUOC) 2022. Estimate of the current skills and knowledge of practicing professionals in engineering: industrial, process, and production; at ACOFI REDIN, central node, Colombia

Abstract

This study estimates the current state and contribution of skills based on a sample of graduates from 8 programs in Industrial Engineering, Production Engineering, Process Engineering, and related fields from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) associated with the Colombian Association of Faculties of Engineering (ACOFI) and its Network of Deans and Directors of Industrial Engineering (REDIN NODO Centro). The analysis uses the 2022 Unique Classification of Occupations for Colombia (CUOC) and the SDX labor characterization test from Psigma Corporation, detailing the measurement of 21 out of the 29 skills requested by CUOC.

The 2022 CUOC is the current regulatory framework established by the government to compare 683 occupations within the country, as a step prior to comparing professions. For Industrial Engineers and related professionals, item 21410 provides the definition of these two professional designations, their occupations, functions, knowledge, competence levels, and skills. The labor testing battery provided by Psigma Corporation, named SDX, allows scoring on a scale from 10 to 100 for 29 specific competencies, detailing 5 types of management competencies, as well as 7 emotional intelligence scales, 5 cognitive skills scales, DISC profiles, and their subtraits.

Thus, the study estimates the compliance with skills and knowledge in graduates from Industrial Engineering, Process Engineering, and Production programs at ACOFI REDIN NODO Centro in Colombia. An association is made between the framework proposed by CUOC 2022 and the measurements of professionals in practice with experience ranging from 36 to 300 months. As a result, the current level is identified and discussed, along with issues in measuring missing skills and knowledge, and potential improvements related to higher education training processes.