THE IMPROVEMENT OF FACULTY COMPETENCE AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY: A CASE STUDY IN THE ENGINEERING COURSES OF A BRAZILIAN UNIVERSITY CENTER.

The search for the training of professionals increasingly integrated into the industrial environment is a constant challenge for higher education and requires the involvement of several actors in this process. The speed of the technological changes and the need for the differentiated profile of the new professionals motivate more and more the search for new partnerships that allow the full development of the students. In this context, the integration among various actors such as industries, class entities, government and academia can help in the development of faculty competence and collaborate in the development of future professionals. The objective of this work is to report the experience in the development of partnerships between the engineering courses of a University Center in Brazil and several industries, class entities and government that contribute to the development and improvement of the faculty and the resolution of real cases by students through Problem Based Learning. The main motivation for the choice of Problem Based Learning was the application of a methodology that could develop in the students the critical sense, analytical capacity in problem solving and teamwork. The case study presents an overview of the framework developed for the development of partnerships and the application of Problem Based Learing through real cases from the industry. Throughout the case study the integration of some CDIO Standards is also presented. The development of partnerships that allow the application of real situations makes the interest and engagement of students increase, enabling the full development of students. The alignment of the curricular guidelines of the courses with the expectations and real situations of the labor market is of paramount importance and the educational institution must provide mechanisms that contribute to the creation of strategies and actions in this sense.