The paper presents a study of key competences among 338 fourth grade technical high school students in Concepción Province, Chile, and the possible relationship with the leadership styles of the school authorities. It focuses on the macro key competences that current students and future workers should develop to suit a wide range of job positions and functions that they have to carry out in their working place, either as simultaneous or alternative work options, along with the capacity to cope with challenges that arise in life. In order to carry out the study, we used a five-scope model, from which we conclude that technical high schools do not show a harmonious development of competences and that it is imperative to study each school's reality in order to improve those aspects that distinguish them, especially the one related to school authorities and teachers' work and leadership style, considering that they are responsible for the suitable learning environment within the school, this article presents the results of the first part of the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]