Since the mid-2010s, the Humanities have been losing prominence in Spanish universities, and Aragón is no exception. At the University of Zaragoza, they represent only about 7% of the total student population, while the majority of students concentrate on technological, scientific, and health-related degrees. At San Jorge University, enrollment similarly reflects a clear preference for STEM programs, health, and professional degrees, relegating humanities studies to a secondary position.
This raises a question: if the decrease in students in the Humanities is primarily due to the promotion of STEM field studies thinking about future needs, are we really preparing our youth to cultivate skills that will be equally essential in professional life and in social coexistence? 
The Needs of Companies Today
My experience in the workplace shows that companies are not only looking for competent technicians but for well-rounded professionals who can adapt to changing environments and work effectively in diverse teams. Recently, during the II National Congress on STEAM Education in Zaragoza, we heard from an international technology company based in our community about the competencies they valued and selected in their candidates:
- Continuous improvement and lifelong learning
- Ability to react quickly and effectively to unexpected problems
- Clear and assertive communication
- Interpersonal intelligence and empathy
- Ability to receive and provide feedback for effective collaboration
- Teamwork and participatory leadership
- Ability to teach others and convey knowledge
- Problem-solving in contexts of technological obsolescence
- Mobility between roles and adaptation to new functions
What Could Happen if We Marginalize the Humanities?
If we only follow the immediate demand of the market and promote technological or scientific studies, we run the risk of training professionals who are technically competent but have limitations in critical thinking, communication, and interpersonal problem-solving. The day-to-day operations of companies are not limited to managing products or services; they are shaped by how we respond to stress, requests, problems, and interactions with our teams, suppliers, collaborators, and customers. And those are human relationships, unpredictable, non-linear, and, most of the time, incomprehensible.
Humanistic education prepares students to face uncertainty, understand behavior (both our own and that of others), and provide creative solutions to complex situations, competencies that companies already value and actively seek.
A Strategic Investment for Society
I wonder why we have not promoted and enhanced the study of the Humanities if they are indeed a strategic necessity. Integrating them with scientific or technological studies would allow for the training of more well-rounded professionals, capable of combining the demanded technical competencies with those that make a competitive difference.
Perhaps if Aragón encouraged not only the degrees currently in demand but also those in the Humanities, as a future investment for society and our economy, we would have workers who genuinely encompass all the necessary skills for a highly changing environment.
As a former student of the Faculty of Philosophy and Arts, and now professionally dedicated to leadership and training in soft skills in business environments, I clearly observe how the skills developed by the Humanities make a real difference within organizations. One fact illustrates this well: during the aforementioned congress, a growing trend of internal mobility within companies was evidenced. Professionals without scientific or technical training were highly valued because they performed technological-related functions that required, above all, human skills, communication, and critical thinking. At the same time, engineering profiles occupied leadership and team management positions, distanced from direct technical work. By 2026, role mobility and the hybridization of skills are already a reality. And this reality confirms that the Humanities are not merely a complement: they are a strategic factor even in the most technological environments.
Forgetting the Humanities today is mortgaging our companies’ ability to adapt, innovate, and lead with humanity.
Marisa Felipe
