Politécnico de Colombia

What it is

Politécnico de Colombia describes itself as "una institución educativa en Medellín que ofrece programas técnicos laborales y diplomados virtuales enfocados en el desarrollo profesional y la empleabilidad" (an educational institution in Medellín offering technical labor programs and online diplomas focused on professional development and employability). This entry is mostly about the online diplomas, which are its offer for learners anywhere: short Spanish-language courses that cost nothing to enroll in or study, with a fee only for the certificate. The site states, in its tagline, "Inscríbete gratis, estudia gratis y certifícate por solo $80.000 COP" (enroll free, study free and get certified for only 80,000 Colombian pesos). Its campus is on Calle 48, by the Floresta metro station in Medellín, and the footer says it operates under a license granted by resolution and is supervised and controlled by the Secretaría de Educación de Medellín, the city's education department.

The diploma catalog

The diplomas page opens with "Contamos con más de 100 diplomados virtuales gratis en áreas como salud, educación, administración, finanzas, marketing y tecnología" (we have more than 100 free online diplomas in areas such as health, education, administration, finance, marketing and technology). They are grouped into nine schools, and many of the titles are tied to specific jobs in clinics, schools, offices and companies.

The health school is the largest. Its diplomas cover accreditation and habilitation of health services, health service management and quality, billing of health services, medical accounts auditing, patient safety, pharmacovigilance, primary care, mental health promotion, psychosocial intervention, psychotherapy, telehealth and telemedicine, basic life support, emergency brigades, and care for victims of sexual violence and of attacks with chemical agents. A strong occupational safety strand sits in the same school: occupational health and safety systems and their auditing, industrial hygiene, high-risk tasks, workplace incident and accident reporting, the workplace coexistence and harassment committee, road safety plans and basic environmental sanitation. There is also a course for professional medical sales representatives.

The education school is aimed at teachers. It includes neuroscience applied to education, project-based learning, educational coaching, online teaching, gamification and game-based learning, learning difficulties, assessment of learning and competencies, emotional intelligence for teachers, educational neurotechnology, ethnic education, a course on pedagogy for professionals without a teaching degree, early childhood curriculum, protective school environments, didactic tools for online teaching and the individual plan of reasonable adjustments (PIAR).

The administration school covers senior management, auditing of management systems, quality management, project management, sales management, change management, purchasing and supplier management, process management, project oversight and auditing, team leadership, logistics, payroll and benefits, and public procurement. Finance and accounting offers basic accounting, costs, financial evaluation of projects, finance, international financial reporting standards and statutory auditing (revisoría fiscal). The business school deals with foreign trade, international business management, imports and exports and customs law. Marketing covers community management, CRM, marketing management, Instagram for brand building, inbound marketing and integrated marketing communications. Human resources covers organizational climate, labor law, talent development, performance evaluation and training plans, conflict management, diversity and inclusion, recruitment trends, social security and workplace psychology. Design and programming offers Google applications, architectural design in AutoCAD, digital design, basic photography, basic computing and programming in Java, JavaScript and PHP, and the environmental school has environmental management and renewable energy and energy efficiency. The page also highlights a few featured diplomas, among them health auditing, gamification and basic computing.

How a diploma works

Enrollment takes three steps on the diplomas page: fill in the registration form, study all the diploma content for free, and pay for the certificate if you want one. Every diploma starts each week on Saturday, so a learner can begin on whatever date suits, and after registering receives an e-mail confirming the exact start date. All diplomas last 5 weeks, with access to the virtual campus 24/7 during that time.

There are no scheduled classes. The FAQ answers the question of what time classes are held by saying the method "no incluye clases virtuales": all the content, "documentos, videos, evaluaciones, foros y actividades" (documents, videos, assessments, forums and activities), is loaded on the virtual campus, which is open 24 hours a day, so learners study when it suits them. Learners can finish a diploma before the closing date, and the FAQ calls the process "muy flexible." To log in, a learner enters the ID number used at registration (cédula, passport or similar) on the campus page, without spaces or dots.

Certificates and cost

A diploma is passed with a final average of 60 or more. The certificate is issued once the learner has passed with at least 60 points and paid the fee, and payment can be made during the course or after it. The FAQ says a learner who finished months ago can still pay and get the certificate, at the price current on the day of payment, and that the certificate carries the date of the course, not the date of payment. The FAQ puts the current certification cost at COP 80,000, and the home page adds that students outside Colombia pay USD $25.

The diplomas page is direct about what the certificate is. It states that "nuestros diplomados pertenecen a la educación informal, por lo tanto, no conducen a título profesional o certificado de aptitud ocupacional, según el Decreto 1075 de 2015 (artículo 2.6.6.8)" (our diplomas belong to informal education and therefore do not lead to a professional title or an occupational aptitude certificate, under Decree 1075 of 2015, article 2.6.6.8). They are short courses that record a learner's training, which the home page frames as a way to "enriquece tu hoja de vida" (enrich your CV).

The technical labor programs

The institute's other offer is a set of technical labor programs: administrative assistant, administrative assistant in health, accounting and finance assistant, quality administrative assistant, human resources assistant, early childhood education assistant, oral health assistant, software development assistant, and computer and network maintenance. The FAQ says these are "100% presenciales en la ciudad de Medellín" (fully in person in Medellín), and that graduates receive a "certificado de aptitud ocupacional por competencias como técnico laboral" (a certificate of occupational aptitude by competencies as a labor technician). The home page says the method combines theory and practical classes and that the semester can be paid in monthly installments through the institute's direct credit, "sin requisitos" (without requirements). It also claims a highly qualified, committed teaching staff, and the menu has a separate section on work placements.

Admission starts from ninth grade: a high school diploma is not required. Registration can be done online or in person, as no physical documents are needed, and enrollment asks for a digital photo for the student card, a photo or copy of both sides of the ID, the high school diploma or ninth-grade certificate, and the payment receipt for the chosen schedule. The site has separate campuses online for diplomas and for technical programs, a page for downloading certificates, and online payments.

Support

Questions go to info@politecnicodecolombia.edu.co or the Medellín phone line, and the site has a complaints and suggestions mailbox. For learners who do not find the diploma they want, the page points to the offer of its allied institutions.

Who it suits and who it does not

The free diplomas suit Spanish-speaking adults who want a focused short course tied to their job: a nurse or clinic administrator learning health service auditing or patient safety, a teacher looking at project-based learning or the PIAR, an office worker covering payroll, logistics or public procurement, or someone trying basic programming. The weekly Saturday starts, the five-week length and the round-the-clock campus make them easy to fit around work, and learners only pay the 80,000 pesos once they decide a certificate is worth having.

The limits are the ones the site states itself. The diplomas are informal education and do not count as a professional title or an occupational aptitude certificate, so learners who need a formal qualification should look at the in-person technical programs, which are only available in Medellín. The courses are self-study without live classes, so learners who want scheduled teaching will need the discipline to work through the material on their own.