Technological competences: a conceptual basis for technological development in Colombia

Abstract

There are high levels of things unforeseen in the dynamics of supply and demand within the context of a changing economy, thereby demanding that technological development requires high levels of efficiency offering pertinent solutions to social contexts and real market expectations. Technology is interpreted today from a broad perspective, involving hard and soft components. During the recent decade the specialised literature has emphasised that production apparatus development generally depends upon the latter. Aspects related to soft technology are not usually dealt with by academics and are practically ignored by the goods and services industry in countries having emergent economies. The present article proposes that technological competence’s pertinence in production apparatus should be analysed, being involved as a key aspect of soft technology; a conceptual base is thus initially reviewed and the topic’s development compared in different settings. The foregoing led to establishing the gaps between developed and emergent countries, in turn offering a basis for defining challenges in local contexts. Analysing the development and impact of technological competence in the case of Colombia revealed the backward state of things, this being why recommendations are then made for promoting the topic.