Skills and the development of human capital in the context of Morocco's new development model: from professional performance to ethical commitment

Abstract

Making the most of human capital is a sine qua non for guaranteeing countries' competitiveness and sustainable development. In Morocco, the New Development Model (NMD) advocates "the adoption of new teaching methods focused on strengthening students' scientific and technical skills, as well as cross-disciplinary and behavioural skills" (NMD, 2021, p. 111), in order to build up human capital as a lever for the Kingdom's performance. With this in mind, the designers of this NMD see the competency-based approach as an appropriate pedagogical choice for meeting this challenge with the same level of professional performance and excellence.

Admittedly, despite its ability to provide relevant responses to the needs of students and the expectations of society, the fact remains that the competency-based approach, given its commercial and economic logic, runs the risk of dehumanising training if it lapses into utilitarianism and behaviourism. It is therefore imperative to adopt this approach not only from an exclusive pragmatic point of view, but also with an ethical vision that establishes a critical and questioning approach.

The aim of this paper is firstly to demonstrate the contribution of the competency-based approach to student training and, consequently, to the project of developing human capital, and secondly to provide a critical analysis of this approach. It will attempt to show the limits of the competency-based approach and to set out the ethical scope of all training. This is necessary if we are to train graduates who, with a critical mind and embodying the image of the "honest man", act with uprightness and loyalty in accordance with the rules of social morality and the principles of probity. The aim, therefore, of this reflection is to show the need to go beyond the commercial, productive and technicist logic of the skills-based approach in valuing human capital and to work in favor of an education in ethical and social values, with freedom, autonomy, civic-mindedness, commitment and honesty as its dependents.

Keywords: Human capital, valorisation, competency-based approaches, ethical commitment

JEL Classification: I25

Paper type: Theoretical Research