University, education, research and profession. The need for exchange between academics and the professional in work sciences

Society in general and the business community in particular often demand graduates with much more applied professional knowledge than is currently being offered at the university. Should the university take this demand on board as a priority or should it instead focus on aspects of how teaching is done? The answer seems clear and unequivocal; reality requires the combination of both perspectives. Based on this, we present an experience of applied innovation in degrees related to the Labor Sciences that is committed to the generation of exchanges between the professional and academic spheres and/or vice versa as an element of improvement and adjustment between the needs and requirements of both perspectives. This is a first empirical approach of an exploratory nature that aims to find out the perception that those involved-both students and representatives of the participating organizations-have of the effects that the experience is generating. To this end, it combines a quantitative methodology (multiple correspondence analysis and Ward's bottom-up classification, based on a questionnaire) with a qualitative one (analysis of interview contents). The results obtained show that 88.5% of the students are satisfied or very satisfied with the teaching experience carried out as well as the representatives consulted. However, certain risks related to the workload generated or the questioning of the comfort zone have also been observed. We can conclude that this is a necessary educational commitment in studies oriented to professional practice.