PRALINE ends in Rotterdam to learn about Dutch VET development
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PRALINE ends in Rotterdam to learn about Dutch VET development

The Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa has participated in the last PLA (Peer Learning Activity) of the European project PRALINE (Promoting Adult Learning in Networks), held on 30 November and 1 December in Rotterdam (The Netherlands). An end of project organised by MBO Raad, the coordinating institution, which has collected all the previous work to present the results to the participants.

Three years after its inception, the Erasmus+ Key Action 3 in which FPEmpresa has participated has completed the face-to-face working sessions with the importance of digitisation and initiatives that pursue the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), among other topics.

During the sessions, the different speakers presented solutions and good practices in Dutch VET, such as the improvement or retraining of workers’ skills. Likewise, Andesh Harnam, director of the Zadkine Logistics College, explained the need to incorporate new technological trends in the development of professional skills, especially in Transport and Logistics training.

Other activities and farewell to the project

This last meeting has presented the different points of view of the participating organisations on the topics discussed during the previous sessions: establishing integration and learning strategies for immigrant students, promoting learning in the workplace and the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence and Automation in the digital skills of future professionals, among others. In this way, they have managed to establish some aspects to work on in each country, with the aim of transferring the policies to the EUproVET network.

At the end of the conference, the European partners analysed the results and recommendations of the project through the ‘PRALINE Survey Report’ and made a final evaluation of the last meeting as a conclusion of the European programme.

PRALINE has been presented as a project with the aim of strengthening and boosting European networks. By learning about good practices in Vocational Training, FPEmpresa continues its work with the internationalisation of the Association and its associated centres.

FPEmpresa, CaixaBank Dualiza and FENIE develop a conference to promote VET in the installations sector
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FPEmpresa, CaixaBank Dualiza and FENIE develop a conference to promote VET in the installations sector

The Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa and FENIE had organised this Tuesday, 7 November, together with CaixaBank Dualiza, the conference “Present and future of Vocational Training in the installations sector” held at the headquarters of ASPRINELPA, the provincial association of employers of electrical and telecommunications installations in Palencia. This meeting, which stems from the collaboration agreement between FPEmpresa and FENIE signed in July 2023, is the first pilot test in Palencia and will later continue to expand the project throughout the rest of Spain.

Representing FPEmpresa was María Ángeles Bernal, the Association’s coordinating member in Castilla y León.

The aim of this meeting was to promote collaboration between vocational training centres and companies in the facilities sector in order to develop synergies between the business and training worlds.

Thus, the participants in the event included companies such as Electricidad Fergal SL, Electricidad Vicente SL and Elgosa Instalaciones y Montajes SL, among others, as well as the professional families of Electricity and Electronics of the Castile and Leon educational centres Centro Don Bosco, IES Santa María La Real and IES Trinidad Arroyo, a partner centre of FPEmpresa.

Programme

The event, inaugurated by Miguel Ángel Gómez, president of FENIE and ASPRINELPA, included various working groups where the participants, both representatives of installation companies and the education sector, raised different questions about the current context of student training and their employability in the sector.

After the networking session, activities were carried out with the aim of creating actions to improve the employability of young people in the installation sector. To this end, the advantages that VET can offer in installation companies were presented, as well as the opportunities that can be generated by educational centres to offer VET talent and boost the workforce in the installation sector.

To conclude the programme, those involved in the conference explained the opportunities that can be experienced if projects are carried out jointly, as well as the specific needs that companies of different sizes (between large and small companies) can demand. For this reason, visits by the entities to VET centres will be promoted so that students can get to know first-hand the job opportunities available to them once they have finished their studies, among other initiatives.

“We want to continue to develop activities of this kind together with FENIE, as they are key to continuing to focus on vocational training. It is important to keep up to date in all productive sectors, but especially in those that are constantly changing, such as the installation sector”, concluded María Ángeles Bernal.

FPEmpresa promotes green transition at EfVET 2023 Annual Congress in Greece
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FPEmpresa promotes green transition at EfVET 2023 Annual Congress in Greece

The Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa has attended the EfVET 2023 Annual Conference in Rhodes (Greece) from 25th to 28th October to work together with other European entities on the ecological transition. Representing FPEmpresa was Carlos de Olagüe, the Association’s Madrid and International coordinator, together with Tomás Alonso, vice-president of FPEmpresa.

Under the slogan ‘The VET agenda on future skills based on the green transition’, the event aimed to address the various facets of the green emergency and bring society together to share experiences and skills to help set an agenda for improving the VET ecosystem.

It is worth noting that the EfVET Annual Congress is held every year as a meeting point for Education and VET professionals from Europe, Asia and America. Thus, more than 300 delegates from different countries have come together in this edition to jointly devise actions to ensure education aligned with the green economy.

Programme

The meeting, which was opened by Joachim James, President of EfVET, included a wide range of interactive activities where EfVET members and delegates exchanged knowledge and good practices in the management of green initiatives by schools.

During his speech, Carlos de Olagüe also highlighted the work and commitment of Spanish VET centres in relation to Sustainability and Social Responsibility. For this reason, several green projects from the following FPEmpresa associated centres were presented as examples: IES Mencey Acaymo, IES Federica Montseny, CIFP Río Tormes, CIPFP Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, IES Pedro de Tolosa and CIFP Paseo das Pontes.

After knowing the date of the next congress, which will be in October 2024 in Amersfoort (The Netherlands), the event ended with a complementary agenda focused on leisure and cultural visits, with the aim of raising awareness of the educational and employment context of the country.

“As the national representative of EfVET and FPEmpresa, we are grateful for the organisation of this Assembly, which has allowed us to learn first-hand about the importance of continuing to update ourselves in digital and ecological matters in order to build quality education and VET”, concluded Carlos de Olagüe.

FPEmpresa supports the internationalisation of Higher Education in Indonesia at ICCCM event
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FPEmpresa supports the internationalisation of Higher Education in Indonesia at ICCCM event

The Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa has participated this thursday 26th of october in the seminary on ‘International Cooperation and Internationalization of Higher Education’, organized by the International Centre for Cultural Communication of Malaysia (ICCCM) and held at the installations of the PGRI Yogyakarta University (UPY) in Indonesia. Representing FPEmpresa was Carlos de Olagüe, FPEmpresa’s Madrid and International Coordinator, as well as the director of IES Pedro de Tolosa.

The aim of this meeting was to foster collaboration between educational institutions and organisations to promote the internationalisation of Higher Education in Indonesia through the development of projects, as well as to share good practices of educational centres.

Celebration of ITEA’s new office in Indonesia

The event, which was inaugurated by Ir Paiman, rector of the UPY, highlighted the need to continue fostering relations between social and educational agents in order to establish various academic programmes that guarantee a good impact and benefits for students at an international level.

For his part, Carlos de Olagüe explained the work of FPEmpresa during his speech at the round table on ‘International Cooperation: challenges, problems and solutions’, highlighting its strength in creating a network between educational centres to promote vocational training in Spain. “There are more than 600 VET schools in the Association, which means that we continue to be a great reference point for change and progress in the VET system”, said de Olagüe.

Finally, the attendees celebrated the inauguration of the new office of the International Transnational Education Association (ITEA) in Indonesia. ITEA is a platform supported by ICCCM to promote higher education exchanges between countries around the world through the organisation of educational, cultural and scientific events.

“It is undoubtedly very important to be present at meetings of this nature, especially for FPEmpresa, as it is a great opportunity to continue transmitting the activity and values of the association beyond our borders”, concluded the FPEmpresa’s Madrid and International Coordinator.

About ICCCM

The International Centre for Cultural Communication Malaysia (ICCCM) was first established in Malaysia in 2009 to meet the needs of international cultural exchange programmes and to assume its role as a “well-developed” centre. In this way, the organisation has been described as the pioneer of internationalisation on the Asian continent. In addition, ICCCM maintains partnerships with various international organisations, governmental and private agencies, companies and academic institutes around the world to develop numerous educational programmes.

FPEmpresa reaches 600 associated centres to continue working for quality vocational training
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FPEmpresa reaches 600 associated centres to continue working for quality vocational training

The Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa brings together since this week more than 600 associated centres. The associated centres are distributed throughout all the autonomous communities, which makes the Association the largest meeting point for working together in the field of Vocational Training.

Since the birth of the Association, its evolution has focused on boosting synergies between VET centres and other entities such as public administrations, companies and foundations. It is worth remembering that the origin of the Association is to be found in an innovation project of the Ministry of Education. At the end of that project, in 2012, the centres involved decided to continue working as a network.   From there, FPEmpresa was born and since then, they have been working to create a collaborative space where they can always work in favour of Vocational Education and Training.

“In FPEmpresa our centres join forces to develop new projects. It is an excellent meeting point to participate in relevant VET calls, such as those of the Ministry of Education and VET, CaixaBank Dualiza, among others”, said Luis García Domínguez, president of FPEmpresa.

On the other hand, the Association has also become the voice that represents vocational training centres before different social agents. “If each centre were to express its perspective on VET individually to the Public Administrations, it would most likely remain in the background. Therefore, it is very important to join forces and for our requests and suggestions to go further and further,” said García Domínguez.

Likewise, FPEmpresa continues to be committed to internationalisation. Being 600 centres helps the organisation’s voice to be heard more attentively in Europe, both through projects and through its involvement in international organisations, such as EfVET, WFCP and SEPIE.

“Without a doubt, belonging to FPEmpresa means belonging to the largest network of VET centres that can exist in our country. Our collaborative network aims to continue to be the catalyst for change and progress in the VET system,” said the president of FPEmpresa.

Major changes in the internal organisation chart of FPEmpresa

Ensuring that the Association grows in membership every year is an important task in order to continue to promote VET, but it is also important that it evolves internally. Thus, FPEmpresa has increased the number of members on the Board of Directors, increasing the number of deputy secretaries and ensuring that there is one member for each autonomous community. For the evolution of the Association, the dedication of all the members of the Board is key, as without their dedication and effort, many of the initiatives that are currently being carried out would not be viable.

The growth of FPEmpresa has also been supported by important collaborators. One of the most important, without a doubt, has been the support received from CaixaBank Dualiza. The joint work of both entities has resulted in the implementation of important initiatives for Vocational Training.

PRALINE meets in Zagreb to highlight the value of Croatian VET as an improvement in unemployment
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PRALINE meets in Zagreb to highlight the value of Croatian VET as an improvement in unemployment

The Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa has participated in the eighth PLA (Peer Learning Activity) of the European project PRALINE (Promoting Adult Learning in Networks) which was held on 2 and 3 October 2023 in Zagreb (Croatia). On this occasion, the organisation Hrvatsko Andragosko Drustvo was in charge of holding the meeting at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Crafts.

The conference focused on the educational system of the Croatian country, as well as the functioning of vocational training and the actions carried out to promote adult education in the country. During the presentation of these topics, the various speakers presented their various measures for dissemination and support for adults to access these studies.

Itana Bukovac, head of the Adult Education Department at the Public Open University Samobor, gave an example of good practice in this type of education at her educational institution, as well as the dissemination activities that are carried out.

Participants who also shared their perspectives on the strategy for promoting adult learning at regional level included Nives Nvak, Head of the Lifelong Learning Development Section at The Agency for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education, and Hrvoje Jelen and Danijel Dekic, Regional Coordinators for the Promotion of Adult Education at Zagreb Craft College, among others.

Croatia bets on VET as a solution to unemployment

One of the most important topics of the conference was the commitment to vocational training as a key tool for inserting the country’s unemployed into the labour market. Thus, Kristina Mazalin, senior expert advisor of the Department of Vocational Guidance and Education of the Central Office of the Employment Service in Croatia, explained in detail the actions carried out to improve the qualifications of unemployed people in order to obtain employment opportunities.

After the conclusion of the conference programme, as was done in previous ALMPs, the PRALINE partners met to share their points of view and to encourage a debate to find new ideas among them.

Finally, the European partners will meet again in the ninth and last ALMP in the Netherlands, where a final conference will be organised in December to close the project and will be organised by MBO Raad, the project’s coordinating association.

“From FPEmpresa, we are committed to networking and the exchange of ideas. The joint work that is born in each of the meetings that we have within the PRALINE project produces a series of results that aim to establish recommendations on VET at European level”, concluded Elena Argudo, Director of Communication and Projects of FPEmpresa.

PRALINE is an Erasmus+ funded project that aims to strengthen and boost international networks of adult education providers already in operation by learning about good practice.

FPEmpresa and Esprinet Group present the II VET Knowledge Transfer Awards
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FPEmpresa and Esprinet Group present the II VET Knowledge Transfer Awards

The Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa and Esprinet Group have delivered this June of 29th the II Awards for Knowledge Transfer in VET at the headquarters of Esprinet Group in Madrid. An event in which IES Javier García Téllez, IES Federica Montseny and IES Lázaro Cárdenas have collected their respective awards of the II Edition of the contest.

Representing FPEmpresa was the vice-president-treasurer of the Association, Tomás Alonso, who congratulated the participants and thanked the Esprinet Group for its collaboration.

“Initiatives of this kind help us to continue growing and to improve our commitment to vocational training, especially for those qualifications where the presence of women is scarce”, said Tomás Alonso.

Also among the attendees were Javier Bilbao-Goyoaga, president of V-Valley Advanced Solutions; Begoña Huerta, HR and Quality Director at V-Valley Advanced Solutions; Silvia Sánchez, head of Marketing and Communication at the Esprinet Group, among others.

“I congratulate you for your hard work in getting this far and for visiting us on this special occasion. We are very happy to collaborate with FPEmpresa to launch initiatives like this, as it is very important, together with young people, to improve the quality of technological education and their preparation for the labour market”, said Bilbao-Goyoaga.

A recognition that helps to develop their professional skills

The winning schools thanked the organisers for all the work they have done. For her part, Marta Barroso, teacher and head of the ‘LlezzHands’ project, which won first prize, said that “this honour is a recognition, above all, for the students. In technology degrees it is difficult to find a greater number of female students, so I am grateful for the commitment and effort of my students”.

At the end of the meeting, all the attendees were able to visit the new facilities of the Esprinet Group, where they were able to see each of the departments of the entity, as well as the different work spaces that the employees have.

Collaboration between FPEmpresa and Esprinet Group

The VET Knowledge Transfer Awards are the result of the collaboration between FPEmpresa and the Esprinet Group signed in 2021 to make female talent visible in those professional families of VET where the presence of women is testimonial.

After the success of the first edition in 2022 with 300 participants, both entities have renewed the collaboration agreement to launch the second edition of the competition, which has attracted more than 450 participants and a total of 78 initiatives.

The final of the Gira Project is held, in which 28 FPEmpresa partner centres have participated
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The final of the Gira Project is held, in which 28 FPEmpresa partner centres have participated

The Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa has attended the celebration of the final gala of the XI edition of GIRA Jóvenes Coca-Cola at the Coca-Cola offices in Madrid. A new delivery of the project of entrepreneurship and support for youth employability that, on this occasion, has been carried out with the participation of FPEmpresa and its 28 associated centres. In total, 673 young people from 23 cities and towns throughout Spain participated in the 2023 edition.

A gala that brought together the 8 finalist groups from intermediate and advanced vocational training centres from all over Spain, where an expert jury evaluated their initiatives and selected the winners of the final round.

Among those attending the competition were Yolanda González, Deputy Director General of Vocational Training at the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, and Carmen Gómez-Acebo, Director of Sustainability at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Iberia, who highlighted “the work of the members of all the participating teams”.

“Our goal is that you really believe that you are true agents of change within the environments in which you are, because you have the talent and creativity to be so. We are also very proud to give you everything we can in your long personal and professional journey,” Gómez-Acebo told the young people.

“This final is the culmination of the incredible work of the teachers who have been involved in this project and, of course, the involvement of the students who have participated in a very enriching experience,” said Elena Argudo, director of Communication and Projects at FPEmpresa.

IES Pedro Jiménez Montoya and IES Ciudad Escolar, winners of the 11th edition of the competition

The 8 schools that have positioned themselves as finalists in the competition were the following: in the rural category were IES Valle de Camargo (Cantabria), IES María Ibars (Denia), EFA Oretana (Castilla-La Mancha) and IES Pedro Jiménez Montoya (Andalusia). The urban category was won by Politeknika Ikastegia Txorierri (Basque Country), Institut d’hoteleria i Turisme de Barcelona EHTB (Barcelona), IES Ciudad Escolar (Madrid) and IES Pino Montano (Andalusia).

Finally, the IES Pedro Jiménez Montoya, together with the students of the Higher Degree in Sociocultural and Tourism Animation, has been proclaimed the winner of the rural category with ‘Regala memoria’, a challenge based on the reintegration of the elderly of Baza (Andalusia) and of those people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias who are in residential homes. To achieve this, the use of recycled computer material is proposed to help improve the cognitive training of these people.

For its part, the IES Ciudad Escolar, with the students of the Higher Degree in Web Applications Development, has won the urban area with ‘In search of the SDGs through the time machine’. This initiative seeks to raise awareness and teach about the SDGs to children at risk of social exclusion through a summer camp themed on the History of Humanity and its relationship with the SDGs.

Gira Jóvenes as an improvement in youth employability

GIRA Jóvenes is a training and employability programme that, since 2012, has been promoting the personal and professional development of young people aged 16 to 26 throughout Spain. Its main purpose is to help them prepare for the world of work.

For this reason, the entity has counted on the collaboration of FPEmpresa, whose associated centres have been, exclusively, the participants of the contest in this edition. “From the Association we continue to work to be the meeting point between companies that want to commit to VET and the associated VET centres, GIRA Jóvenes is a clear example of this”, added Argudo.

This call is divided into different phases, from the recruitment of participants and various training sessions to the development of projects and the final selection of the winners. So far, more than 7,200 young people, 350,000 hours of training and 790 paid professional experiences have been achieved with Gira Jóvenes.

FPEmpresa announces the new members of the Permanent Board at the Ordinary General Assembly 2023
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FPEmpresa announces the new members of the Permanent Board at the Ordinary General Assembly 2023

The Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa organised the Ordinary General Assembly 2023 this Thursday, 15 June, at the Ilunion facilities in Madrid. The meeting was held in a hybrid format, so that members were able to attend in person and follow it via streaming. The Association’s Permanent Secretary thanked those present and the 90 people who followed the event online for their attendance.

The Assembly was opened by Joaquín Leizaola, General Manager of Ilunion Formación, who expressed his gratitude for hosting this event. “We are very grateful to be part of FPEmpresa and, of course, we are delighted to introduce you to Ilunion, a special entity that belongs to the ONCE social group, and where we also present our honours to VET”, said Leizaola.

New additions to the Permanent Board

After watching the corporate video of Ilunion, the president of FPEmpresa, Luis García, intervened to start the Extraordinary Assembly where the modifications of the statutes were contemplated and gave way to the respective votes. “Today we have more than 560 centres associated to FPEmpresa, which means an increase in the demands on FPEmpresa and that it has the task of continuing to improve. This is why we have decided to increase the number of members of the Permanent Board, proposing 2 vice-secretaries”, said Luis.

In this way, Luis Jesús, FPEmpresa’s coordinating member in Andalusia, and María José Fernández, the Association’s coordinating member in Asturias, will become the new members of the Permanent Board, giving support as vice-secretaries.

Following the vote at the Extraordinary Assembly, the members voted in favour, which led to the approval of the proposed changes. At the Ordinary Assembly, the secretary of FPEmpresa, Sergio San Martín, presented and explained every detail of the FPEmpresa Activities Report. This report is a document that allows the members of FPEmpresa to know in depth all the activities carried out by the Association.

Likewise, the presentation of activities shows a constant increase in the number of initiatives in which FPEmpresa is present, highlighting among all of them the close collaboration with CaixaBank Dualiza. Together with its strategic ally, several key actions have been carried out, such as the VET Congress, the Dualiza Call, the Active Guidance Call and the EmpleaFP job bank.

Likewise, the activities document shows the Association’s constant commitment to internationalisation, joining different associations and international projects in order to share and extend its objectives and fundamental values.

FPEcompany committed to the SDGs

Afterwards, the Assembly continued with the explanation of the new Strategic Plan 2022-2025, the Closing 2022, the Budget 2023, the Congress document and the Action Plan 2023/2024. During the presentation of the action plan, Sergio San Martín explained the objectives and actions that FPEmpresa will carry out in order to continue to become the benchmark VET Association. Among them, FPEmpresa’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) stands out. “We must ask ourselves how we want our activities to impact the SDGs. Obviously, we must continue to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs, so we have identified 8 goals that will be related to each of our strategic lines,” said the secretary of the Association.

Likewise, FPEmpresa will continue to work to be the meeting point for all VET actors and to become a reference for companies and public institutions, in order to promote projects that provide added value. Furthermore, the aim is to promote the culture of innovation through agreements with technological entities. Finally, the focus will be on STEAM-related initiatives.

To conclude the event, the Permanent Board announced the approval of all the documents and proposals of the Ordinary Assembly.

FPEmpresa attends Cedefop and OECD meeting on ‘Apprentices and the Digital Transition 2023’
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FPEmpresa attends Cedefop and OECD meeting on ‘Apprentices and the Digital Transition 2023’

The Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa attended on 15 and 16 June the meeting on ‘Learning and Digital Transition’ in Thessaloniki (Greece) organised by Cedefop and OECD. Carlos de Olagüe, EfVET’s representative in Spain, participated as a speaker on behalf of the Association. The event brought together policy makers, social partners, practitioners and researchers from different countries to explore the links between apprenticeships and the digital transition, as well as their implications for policy making.

The agenda of the event covered topics such as: the demand for digital skills, digital tools for schools and businesses, as well as learning about international policy and practice.

Digitalisation as a new form of learning

Carlos de Olagüe, together with other European figures, took part in the presentation on the ‘Perspectives of the protagonists regarding digitalisation’ to discuss the role of learning in the digital transition and the challenges and opportunities that this entails for VET centres.

Olagüe said that digitalisation applied in educational centres in Spain is working very well. “We have the case of Iberdrola’s Digital Community, which is available to all FPEmpresa members”, stressed the EfVET representative in Spain.

Likewise, the FPEmpresa’s international coordinator highlighted the functioning of the Immersive Classroom of IES Luis Vives (Madrid), as well as the Association’s collaboration with IndesIA. “This agreement with IndesIA allows companies, such as Microsoft, to transfer their experience with Artificial Intelligence to vocational training centres”, he said.

“It is undoubtedly very important to attend meetings of this nature, especially for FPEmpresa. It is a great opportunity to transmit all the activity of the Association, as well as to show the work that is being done for VET in Spain”, concluded FPEmpresa’s Madrid and international coordinator.