When current consensuses are not enough: towards a review of technical training, institutional practices and territorial productive challenges

Abstract

This article presents the main findings of participatory action research carried out in the province of Salta, aimed at mapping the provision of Technical Education in a context marked by accelerated technological and productive transformations. It stems from the need to rethink the connections between education, territory, and the world of work from a situated and forward-looking perspective. Through a mixed-methods strategy that combines document analysis, cartography, surveys, focus groups, and a case study, the study explores the adequacy of training programs in response to the current and emerging demands of local productive sectors. The results reveal a persistent mismatch between the profiles developed through training and the competencies required, as well as deep territorial asymmetries in the distribution of educational offerings. Voices from the education system, the business sector, and graduates converge in highlighting the urgency of strengthening professional practice opportunities, updating curricular content, and consolidating intersectoral coordination spaces. The article argues that revisiting the existing agreements that structure technical education requires moving beyond instrumentalist approaches, placing technical training within a broader territorial development project capable of integrating knowledge, trajectories, and the aspirations of the youth inhabiting our regions.