Strategic Plan of the Higher Technical School of Engineering

Mission and Vision of Our School

Mission: [expresses the purpose and main values ​​of the center, and the objective for which it was founded]

• To serve students through high-quality, in-demand, and recognized higher education both within and outside the University of Seville.
• To contribute to the development of knowledge, its transfer to society and innovation in all areas related to Engineering, with special attention to the regional productive fabric.
• To produce prestigious professionals in the various branches of engineering, who are characterized by the values ​​of the center and contribute to the improvement of society.

Vision: [expresses the center's aspirations, communicates where it will be heading in the near future]

• Integration with the University of Seville, but with its own idiosyncrasies forged since its founding, aspiring to maintain autonomous management and close to the user.
• To be recognized as a center of reference in Spain, accessible and visible internationally.
• Promote a culture of user orientation, transparency, and continuous improvement.
• To foster a sense of belonging to "The School" among students and pride in the education they have received.
• Leveraging the synergy and interdependence between different branches of engineering at the teaching, research and transfer project levels.
• To create lasting links with the business sector that are open to teaching and research.
• Adapting quickly to technological changes, adapting the studies offered and providing specialized training.

Values:

• Requirements: High academic standards and work capacity.
• Innovation: To propose new, effective, and efficient solutions to technological challenges.
• Curiosity: A desire to explore the unknown and face uncertainty.
• Student Orientation
• Professionalism: Reliability and availability. Solving engineering problems with rigor and quality, and fulfilling commitments made.

Strategic Objectives

The ETSi has defined a series of strategic objectives that align with its mission and vision, in order to guide the development of the center in the coming years:

1. Internationalization: To achieve improved international recognition in order to enhance mobility opportunities (Erasmus, double degrees), the internationalization of the center, and collaboration with world-renowned schools.
2. Efficiency in Infrastructure and Services: Improve the user orientation of the services offered, minimizing bureaucracy and adapting processes to the needs of users and to an efficient use of resources.
3. Continuous Improvement: To foster a mindset of continuous improvement in both staff and students. To identify areas for improvement and be proactive in finding solutions.
4. Commitment and Participation: Increase the participation of students, teachers and PTGAS in the activities of the School, creating a greater connection and sense of belonging.
5. Brand Improvement: Improve and promote the image of the ETSi both internally and externally, highlighting the quality and variety of studies and activities.
6. Teaching Quality: Increase student satisfaction with teaching without losing academic rigor, providing a demanding but manageable learning environment.
7. Promotion of Interdisciplinary Activity: Facilitate collaboration between different disciplines/departments, both between professors and between students, promoting projects and activities that combine various branches of engineering.
8. Collaboration with CompaniesStrengthening the relationship with the productive sector by promoting contracts and projects that contribute to technological updating and improve the connection between training and professional practice. Fostering entrepreneurship.
9. Sustainability of the Academic Offer and Talent AttractionAdapting our official and in-house educational offerings to ensure they remain valuable and in demand by the productive sector, continuously assessing market needs and technologies, regulations, and available resources. Promoting and attracting talent for our undergraduate and master's degree programs.
10. Improve the Resources Available to the CenterIncrease and improve the center's spaces. Increase the center's income from projects and contracts with companies, in order to improve the infrastructure and services offered.

Progress towards achieving the aforementioned objectives necessarily involves numerous improvements to the current situation. These improvements must be identified, defined, prioritized, and implemented by the management team through internal plans that outline action plans and improvement initiatives aligned with the objectives of this plan. Change should also be fueled by improvement initiatives from any member of the institution (faculty, technical and support staff, or students) within a framework of continuous improvement.

Assessment of the initial situation

It is advisable to conduct an initial assessment of the degree of (non-)compliance with each of the objectives mentioned above at the start of the plan period. This assessment marks the starting point from which to embark on the path of improvement towards the full achievement of the objectives.  For simplicity and efficiency, a subjective assessment (by the management team) of a series of facts or conditions related to the achievement of each objective has been chosen. These are detailed in Annex A. Figure 1 shows the results of this assessment on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 – not met at all, 5 – fully met).

Fig. 1.  Initial assessment of the degree of achievement of the objectives (1-5)

According to this initial assessment, the objectives we are currently furthest from are: O3 (continuous improvement mindset), O4 (commitment and participation of students and staff) and O7 (interdisciplinary promotion).  The objectives where there is less progress to be made (rating between 5 and 6 out of 10) are: O1 (internationalization), O9 (relationship with companies).  This subjective assessment should not be taken as an exam grade, but as a way to identify areas for improvement to which efforts should be dedicated over the next few years.