Gimena Vitali, rector of the Universidad Metropolitana para la Educación y el Trabajo (UMET), explained in an interview how the institution collaborates with unions to design accessible careers for workers with family responsibilities. Alongside Flavia Quiroga, academic secretary, they emphasized the gender perspective and human rights in study plans, in a context where less than 10% of university rector positions in Argentina are held by women.
The Universidad Metropolitana para la Educación y el Trabajo (UMET), founded 13 years ago by the impetus of the SUTERH union, has incorporated more than 100 union organizations into its co-management. Gimena Vitali, its rector, and Flavia Quiroga, academic secretary, discussed the institution's inclusive approach on Radio Perfil AM 1190's #MujeresenlaJungla program.
Vitali highlighted collaboration with unions to create careers tailored to workers' lives. "The union approaches UMET, since public universities can sometimes be very exclusive for someone with a worker's life, who dedicates many hours to their trade and also has family burdens, and private ones are usually quite exclusive due to fees," she explained, citing the Bachelor's in Pharmacy developed with the Association of Pharmacy Employees (ADEF) as an example.
Quiroga emphasized the integration of human rights and gender perspective in all study plans, resulting from alliances with women's organizations, travestis, and other collectives. In Argentina's university landscape, with over 130 institutions, less than 10% of rector positions are held by women, who typically take roles like vice-rectorates or academic secretariats, but not key budgetary decisions.
"The glass ceiling is something that's being broken," Quiroga stated, attributing it to new generations challenging traditional roles. UMET offers flexible schedules and 100% virtual modalities to facilitate access, with careers like Tourism, Cultural Management, and Environmental Management including agreements with municipalities for 50% scholarships.
Registrations for 2026 are open until March 11, followed by an introductory course to avoid frustrations. "We don't provide a service for someone who comes and enrolls in a career; it's not a client. We provide a service to society," Quiroga concluded, stressing the mission to train professionals for the common good.
