Fundamentos de excelência em educação profissional: narrativas (auto)biográficas e experiências do Senac-RS no worldskills Competitions

Abstract

This study, entitled Foundations of Excellence in Vocational Education: (Auto)Biographical Narratives and the Experiences of Senac-RS in the WorldSkills Competitions, investigated the determining factors for excellence in vocational education, based on contextual data from SenacRS and the life stories of professionals involved in international competitions. The WorldSkills Competitions (WSC) is the largest and most prestigious global vocational education tournament, bringing together competitors from dozens of countries in high-level technical and technological challenges, with the aim of promoting excellence, innovation, and the valorization of technical professions. Performance in the WSC is globally recognized as one of the most relevant indicators of quality in professional training. The central objective of this research was to establish a set of Foundations of Excellence in Vocational Education, based on the analysis of Brazil's performance in the WSC, (auto)biographical narratives of professionals, and the institutional context of SenacRS. To achieve this goal, the research distinguished leading countries in vocational education, examined Brazil's performance in the WSC between 2000 and 2020, identified key actors in the educational process, and evaluated practices and institutional resources contributing to SenacRS's high performance. The adopted methodology was based on a qualitative approach, combining the analysis of (auto)biographical narratives (Marinas, 2007) with the theory of core competencies by Hamel and Prahalad (1995). The study built and analyzed narratives and testimonies from professionals and managers who played significant roles in the preparation and participation processes in the WSC, in addition to examining the essential strategic resources mobilized by Senac-RS. The results identified South Korea, China, Brazil, Japan, and France as leading countries in the WSC, highlighting Brazil's evolution and its 1st place achievement in 2015. The analysis of Senac-RS revealed that institutional excellence is sustained by strategic resources and organizational practices, harmonized with the life trajectories of professionals, enabling the identification of foundational elements of excellence. The findings demonstrated that excellence in vocational education is supported by a dynamic learning ecosystem, where the interaction between innovative pedagogical practices, significant life stories, and institutional investments creates an environment conducive to high educational performance. The importance of international benchmarking as a strategy for continuous improvement was also evidenced. It is concluded that the combination of robust institutional policies, systematic investment in professional development, and the valorization of individual life trajectories constitutes a replicable model for institutions aspiring to achieve excellence standards in vocational education. The thesis presents significant impacts in the scientific field, by deepening the understanding of factors sustaining educational excellence; in the practical field, by offering subsidies for institutional strategies and public policies aimed at high-quality vocational education; and in the social field, by contributing to the strengthening of education as an instrument for social mobility, productive inclusion, and civic transformation, reaffirming the centrality of vocational education in the sustainable development of contemporary societies.