FPEmpresa and CaixaBank Dualiza bring together more than a thousand people in Seville to talk about guidance at the 10th VET Conference
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FPEmpresa and CaixaBank Dualiza bring together more than a thousand people in Seville to talk about guidance at the 10th VET Conference

More than a thousand vocational training teachers and professionals filled the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones in Seville during the two days of the Vocational Training Congress organised by the association of FPEmpresa centres and CaixaBank Dualiza, with the collaboration of the Junta de Andalucía and the Fundación Orange.

The event, which celebrated its tenth edition, has established itself as one of the main references of Vocational Training at national level, addressing various topics that directly affect this training modality and the educational community.

On this occasion, career guidance was the theme chosen to lead the presentations, addressing not only the initial orientation, but also, as indicated by the president of FPEmpresa, Luis García, the importance of accompanying students during their studies and help them develop. personally and know the opportunities in the market. This congress focuses on that mission.

The director of CaixaBank Dualiza, Paula San Luis, recalled the work carried out by her entity to support educational centres in all initiatives aimed at promoting guidance, considering it a key pillar to promote the qualification of people in vocational training.

During her speech, Paula San Luis gave the floor to the Chairman of CaixaBank, José Ignacio Goirigolzarri, a staunch defender of vocational training, who took part in a video thanking the congress for being a meeting point for teachers, promoting the transfer of knowledge and acting as a driving force for innovation and a loudspeaker for the latest trends.

From the institutional level, the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, remarked that vocational guidance is the most useful tool to know the wide offer of the labour market, pointing out VET as a great conquest that represents the training and labour hope for several generations of young people and adults, being a niche of employability capable of energising the labour market as never before.

From the Ministry, the Secretary General for Vocational Training, Clara Sanz, insisted that “there will be no economic development or productive fabric if we do not achieve the vocational training that our country needs” and that “the great advance must be sought in consensus, in weaving alliances”.

All of this was the prelude to a series of presentations in which Clara Sanz herself, the Andalusian Regional Minister for Educational Development and Vocational Training, and the Deputy Minister for Vocational Training of the Basque Government, Jorge Arévalo, analysed the entry into force of the new Vocational Training Law and the challenges it will pose for teachers.

Arévalo himself defended the regulation because “it allows us to do what we want to do” and because “today’s centres have to be different; we cannot expect to enter centres that are the same as 50 years ago if we want to overcome the new challenges”.

He included this differentiation through new high-performance digital spaces or immersive digital spaces, which will facilitate the work of distance students and allow “if tomorrow we have a pandemic, the next day the students can continue working”.

The business part of the event heard the experience of the CEO of Ly Company Group, an Andalusian company with a turnover of more than 370 million euros, and the testimony of the former president of CICA, awarded for its commitment to VET and which has more than 50% of its staff coming from VET.

The students also had the opportunity to express themselves in a round table moderated by the Director of Innovation of the Chamber of Commerce of Seville, Ramón Bullón, in which Mónica Rufián, a student of Baking, Patisserie and Confectionery at the CIPFP Hurtado de Mendoza in Granada, advised those who decide their future: ‘Do not study only what has an outlet, because when you choose what you really want, you look for the opportunities yourself’.

All this took place at a congress where a roadmap was drawn up for where an ideal orientation should lead, and where the company should assume a part of this process through ‘a rapprochement between companies and education systems with specific agreements, moving away from big words’, according to the director of the Orange Foundation, Daniel Morales, who recalled that ‘when a student fails, it is not only an individual failure, but a failure of the system’.

In addition, all attendees had the opportunity to visit a number of educational centres located in Seville to learn about their organisation, the resources available and the strategies used to improve students’ education as much as possible.

For the programme of the 10th VET Congress, please click here.

FPEmpresa and CaixaBank Dualiza organise the 10th VET Congress to address the challenge of orientation towards VET
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FPEmpresa and CaixaBank Dualiza organise the 10th VET Congress to address the challenge of orientation towards VET

The Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa and CaixaBank Dualiza are organising the 10th VET Congress under the title “Know. Decide. Act. The challenge of Vocational Training Guidance”. The event will take place on 25th and 26th of April at the Fibes | Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Sevilla. In addition, the congress has the collaboration of the Junta de Andalucía and the participation of Fundación Orange.

Nowadays, society faces the challenge of guaranteeing a correct professional orientation not only for students, but also for families, workers, unemployed people and companies. The definition of mechanisms that facilitate this guidance is essential to forge a successful educational and working future. Furthermore, it is advocated that vocational training centres should become benchmarks in guidance, qualification and re-qualification of people.

Faced with this challenge, the 10th VET Congress is presented as a space for reflection and a meeting point for experts, institutional representatives, and professionals from the educational and business spheres to address the challenge of guidance.

The president of FPEmpresa, Luis García Domínguez, assures that “in the framework of this Congress, we reaffirm once again our commitment to the continuous improvement of vocational guidance in our country. This event is key to share experiences, explore innovative solutions and strengthen collaboration between companies and VET centres. Together, we are working to continue promoting vocational training as a driver of development and progress in our society”.

For her part, the director of CaixaBank Dualiza, Paula San Luis, was pleased that “this congress has managed to become an annual reference for the whole world of VET, making it a fixed date for hundreds of teachers who come to learn about the latest trends in VET, but also to make contact with professionals from other educational centres with the same concerns to continue promoting the world of VET”.

The importance of orientation towards VET in the educational and working environment

During the event, different presentations will be given by Clara Sanz, Secretary General for Vocational Training of the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports; Patricia del Pozo, Andalusian Regional Minister for Educational Development and Vocational Training, and Jorge Arévalo, Deputy Minister for Vocational Training in the Basque Country.

In addition, the congress will be attended by international representatives, such as Irene Psifidou from CEDEFOP and Pablo Nardi, director of EfVET, to address the situation of VET guidance and career guidance at European level.

The 10th VET Congress will include visits to Andalusian VET schools and several round tables to discuss innovative strategies to improve guidance in VET schools, effective collaboration between the education and business sector, as well as the vital role of VET in the qualification and re-qualification of people.

All those interested in Vocational Education and Training can participate in the 10th VET Congress by registering at the following link.

For more information about the congress or additional details about the programme, please click here.

FPEmpresa attends the EfVET Executive Management meetings in Madrid
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FPEmpresa attends the EfVET Executive Management meetings in Madrid

The Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa attended the meetings of the EfVET Executive Management held on 26th and 27th January at the Escuela Superior de Hostelería y Turismo in Madrid. Carlos de Olagüe, EfVET Coordinator for Spain and FPEmpresa Member for Madrid and International, also participated in the organisation of the meeting.

The agenda of the day covered discussions on various topics such as: policy, conference, membership action, finance and projects. However, one of the most prominent topics on the agenda was the preparation of the next European Congress on the island of Rhodes (Greece) from 26 until 28 October 2023. The Congress will include conferences, workshops, visits to VET centres and Market Place (networking meetings), although the theme of the event is not yet known.

The meeting on the 26th was followed by a visit to the facilities of the Escuela Superior de Hostelería y Turismo to learn about good VET practices in the centre.

The meeting on the 27th was followed by a visit to the facilities of the Escuela de la Vid, where José María Rodríguez, Director General of Secondary Education and Vocational Training of the Community of Madrid welcomed the participants, who came from 12 different countries.

Meetings to increase international relations

“The event has been a great opportunity to give visibility in Europe to the quality of vocational training in Spain. Both the Escuela Superior de Hostelería y Turismo and the Escuela del Vid have shown the methodologies and training techniques at the highest level. The Entrepreneurship Classroom of the School of Hospitality and Tourism, equipped with the latest technology, and the attention received by teachers and students have made possible the event with a great international impact,” said Carlos de Olagüe.

“Without a doubt, for FPEmpresa it has been an excellent opportunity to consolidate its international trajectory. In addition, this event was made possible thanks to the collaboration of the Directorate General for Secondary Education and Vocational Training and the teams and students of the Escuela Superior de Hostelería y Turismo de Madrid and the Escuela de la Vid”, concluded the EfVET coordinator for Spain.

Finally, the meeting discussed the work of the Thematic Themes (EfVET thematic teams), established in 2018 with the main objective of becoming a ‘Think Tank’, opinion leader and reference point for VET in a specific field. Also, to promote innovation and business opportunities among project members.

Currently, EfVET thematic teams are focusing on the areas of Entrepreneurship, Sustainability through VET, Tourism, VET 4.0, Internationalisation and Learning Mobility and Inclusive Vocational Excellence.