Clustering Analysis of Common Tasks Undertaken by Engineering Technicians in Informatics and Manufacturing in Seven European Countries

Abstract

VALEURTECH is a pilot project under the European Commission's Leonardo II programme. It includes 35 partners from higher education institutions and professional organizations in eight European countries and has the major objectives: of (a) setting up a homogeneous ‘labelling’ process, such as a diploma supplement, based on a common reference system for skills and a harmonized assessment procedure, so that experience acquired in a professional situation abroad becomes explicit and more easily assessed; and (b) setting up a database which will give students useful information to prepare themselves for their professional placement in one of the partner countries' firms. To achieve these objectives, a questionnaire was organized for firms to identify the relevance and weight of each skill. More precisely, the questionnaire focused on the composition of the professional profile (qualifications and capabilities) that the students should have in three industrial sectors: informatics, civil engineering and manufacturing. This paper concentrates on the informatics and manufacturing sectors. The results are assessed using hierarchical clustering analysis to compare the answers in seven European countries.