Key foundations of the professionalization process among university students

Abstract

Introduction: professionalization is a driver of progress, enabling individuals and society to reach their full potential.

Objective: to establish the theoretical and methodological foundations underlying the professionalization process, in support of professional modes of action among university students.
Methods: the research was based on a critical-valuative analysis with a qualitative approach, integrating theoretical and empirical methods under the materialist dialectical method. Historical-logical analysis, documentary and bibliographic review, interviews, and surveys were applied. Triangulation of results enabled the understanding of trends, needs, and modes of action in university professionalization.

Results: the international analysis of the professionalization process reveals diverse approaches, including promoting dual education as a means of integrating theory and practice, implementing workplace internships to strengthen teacher preparation, and advancing university autonomy to develop unique models and innovative pedagogical alternatives. In Cuba, the process is distinguished by state policies that orient training toward professional refinement, responding to 21st-century social and cultural demands. There is a confirmed need to consolidate systemic, inclusive, and contextualized principles that integrate knowledge, skills, and values for competent professional performance.

Conclusions: the professionalization process must foster in university students modes of action and ways of proceeding that promote competent professional performance, enabling them to align with the demands of education and society at large.