We are living in times of great transformations within the field of education and the labor market. These changes are connected and have to do with an expanded knowledge society, whose implications reach the levels of employability in times of uncertainty. Within this framework, the main purpose of our study is to perform a theoretical analysis and an empirical approach to the influence that transversal competences (soft skills) may have on the degree of employability of university students. We have identified some of those competences and we have tested them with a sample of 83 employers and 1249 students using a Likert scale. Our results show the interest of employers in the mastery of transversal competences and inequalities in terms of students’ perception thereof. We did not find any significant differences between students starting their degree and those who were about to complete it. However, we did find differences between the students who participated in experiential activities and those who did not, in favor of the former. Due to the importance of experiential learning in our results, we dedicate our discussion to theoretically exploring whether the pedagogical approach of Service-Learning (SL) might contribute to a better connection between transversal competences and employability.

The view previously held in the university regarding teaching-learning processes has changed significantly over the past few years. Undoubtedly, in the case of Europe, this change of pedagogical model has gone hand in hand with the creation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Some of the pivotal areas of EHEA are the independent work of the individual student, the social dimension of learning, and the acquiring of skills, which are not reduced to the mere technical and/or subject matter knowledge. Generic competences and the so-called “soft skills” have also become important, given their significant contribution to the students’ academic, personal, social, and professional development. Predictably, within this framework, new methodologies appear, in line with this educational focus on competences; among these new methodologies include service-learning (SL). It basically consists of introducing a community service into the traditional academic and curricular tasks thereby seeking a better relevance and applicability in the learning processes. This article analyzes the way in which SL contributes to the acquisition, by university students, of a certain skill set which is useful for their social and professional life. To this end, we used a quasi-experimental design, which included pretest and posttest assessments based on a total sample of 1,153 students (789 SL students and 364 non-SL students). The used questionnaire evaluates three important components relevant for the purpose of the present article (perception of the university education, social participation and civic-social competences). The conclusion is that students involved in SL not only show a more positive evolution, but also obtain better results after the projects are completed (regarding satisfaction with the training, and social participation). By the same token, not all students included in the experimental group achieve homogeneous results; the differences are according to variables such as gender, the cycle/year they are enrolled in, area of study or whether or not they previously participated in university service activities. Finally, we observe that this methodology is capable of approaching university education in a holistic way by asserting cross-section type learning processes likely to be useful in the transition from the students’ academic to their professional life.

Ante los desafíos que supone enfrentarse con eficacia a las nuevas tareas educativas generadas por la diversidad presente en la actual sociedad abierta, multicultural y en continuo cambio, el enfoque intercultural debe incorporarse en la cualificación del profesorado, a fin de capacitarlo con las competencias que demanda la educación y el desarrollo humano del siglo XXI. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar la presencia de la interculturalidad en los planes de formación inicial y permanente de los maestros de educación infantil y primaria, y los profesores de educación secundaria de Galicia. Para ello, se han revisado las materias impartidas en los grados para la formación de maestros y los másteres universitarios en Profesorado de Educación Secundaria en las tres universidades gallegas, así como la formación continua ofrecida por el Centro Autonómico de Formación e Innovación. Los resultados ponen de manifiesto una notable carencia formativa en este campo y la necesidad de promover los cambios oportunos en la preparación del profesorado. Finalmente, se formulan algunas propuestas de mejora dirigidas tanto a la administración educativa como a la propia universidad.

En este artículo se examina si algunos cambios asociados al Espacio Europeo de la Educación Superior (eees) han afectado a los procesos educativos en la universidad, toda vez que la reforma implica un enfoque del aprendizaje centrado en la adquisición de competencias por parte de los estudiantes. Su objetivo no es otro que explorar las posibilidades que para la formación del alumnado tiene la conexión entre universidad y comunidad. A tal fin, después de revisar la literatura temática de los últimos años, hacemos uso de un trabajo empírico con metodología ex-post-facto. Y se propone el aprendizaje-servicio como estrategia capaz de favorecer una pedagogía más experiencial en la universidad.

La inclusión educativa de la inmigración y la formación intercultural del profesorado