Students
Kroton's main economic impact is related to the development of the 1.4 million students enrolled in its teaching units. In 2013, the company conducted a survey among higher education students at its institutions for the purpose of measuring this impact. The survey showed that in the middle of their course, students' income had increased by 32% and at the end, by 69% – compared with when they entered university. Four years after graduation, their income had risen by 150%.
Using this study as a basis, in 2014 strategies were drafted to improve the employability of our students. After consulting diverse companies, Kroton prepared a list of technical and behavioral competencies which companies require nowadays and used these in the development of a new tool: Canal Conecta (Conecta Channel). (more information in the following box) [G4-EC4].
Canal Conecta
The Conecta Channel is an employability platform designed to bring our students and ex-students closer to the labor market, reinforcing our commitment to mold citizens and to help them fulfill their life plans.
The tool is free and is available to all students and ex-students of the group's institutions. It enables management of the complete selection program, from arranging interviews to hiring the candidate.
Students have access: to job vacancies best suited to their profile; to potential employers of interest, as well as to talks, visits and contact opportunities; to self-appraisal reports that indicate personal strengths and competencies to be developed, as well as feedback from companies after their participation in selection programs.
The channel also offers students a base of federal, state and municipal selection processes for those interested in pursuing a civil service career.
Since it was implemented, the channel has had a positive impact on many of the students who enrolled: 63% were hired, 20% changed job in order to enter their chosen profession, and income increased on average 57%.
Drop out
Dropping out is one of the main challenges for higher education in Brazil. The principal causes of dropping out of school or university are: financial problems, difficulty in reconciling studies and work, deficient primary and secondary education and being absent from the educational process for a long time. To reduce drop out and default rates, Kroton works with government lines of credit – such as Fies – and private financing, allowing students to pay fees in installments (more information in Opening up access to Higher Education).
To reinforce learning and prevent dropping out, in addition to an academic model oriented to employability, students have access to specific studies – enabling them to revise basic subjects such as mathematics, Portuguese and biological sciences. In parallel, the company periodically organizes actions aimed at driving loyalty, increasing retention and encouraged drop outs to re-enroll.
Furthermore, some group units have teams dedicated to retaining undergraduate students. The project, which should be extended to Anhanguera units in 2015, works on two fronts: preventively, through the analysis of variables which point out potential drop outs; and reactively, approaching students who have declared their intention to interrupt their studies.
Notwithstanding the focus on higher education, primary and secondary education also requires attention, given that there is a close link between the Pitágoras network and the company's higher education institutions. Currently the average annual renewal rate for associated schools is 90%, and around 80% have had a contract with the company for more than three years.
Survey among students and educators
[G4-PR5]Anhanguera
Kroton periodically evaluates student satisfaction. For Anhanguera, the Institutional Evaluation Program spans three dimensions: academic, service and infrastructure.
In 2014, 485,700 students took part in the survey, which results in a Student Satisfaction Rate for secretarial services, laboratories, the Text Book Program (PLT)*, academic libraries, classrooms, coordinators and teachers. The highest scores were for teachers (88%) and for the text book program (85%) – both part of the academic dimension. No significant changes in the level of satisfaction were identified compared with the previous survey.
*The Text Book Program involves the establishment of partnerships with publishing companies, enabling students to get discounts of up to 80% on the acquisition of books during the course.
| Institutional Evaluation Program | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dimension | Indicators evaluated | Student Satisfaction Rate |
| Academic | Teachers and coordinators; Text Book Program – PLT; Supervised Practical Activities; Course Conclusion work, Legal Clinic (NPJ), Academic models A4, A5, A4R and A5R) | 83% |
| Services | Library, computer laboratories and secretarial services | 74% |
| Infrastructure | Library (physical and academic), laboratories, administrative offices and classrooms | 73% |
Other brands
One of the Kroton Evaluation area's attributions is the application of the Annual Internal Institutional Evaluation System (Siai), which involves students and educators of the other brands. Minimum participation rates are established to ensure the results are representative. The survey covers the following dimensions.
- Infrastructure: libraries, laboratories, website and classrooms.
- Institution: student service, working conditions, institutional management and image.
- Course: administrative performance, attendance and educational performance of the coordinator, tracking of course results, student involvement, education-pedagogical organization, course image and teaching strategies.
These categories are then broken down by teaching format (on-campus or online), brand, unit, region and course.
| Internal Institutional Evaluation System (Siai) – 2014 | Infrastructure | Institution | Course |
| Students | 60% | 65% | 67% |
| Coordinators | 85% | 87% | 85% |
| Teachers | 82% | 75% | 78% |
| Total | 62% | 76% | 67% |