The CaixaBank Dualiza and FPEmpresa Active Guidance Call for Proposals breaks records: 28 projects selected out of 145 submitted
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The CaixaBank Dualiza and FPEmpresa Active Guidance Call for Proposals breaks records: 28 projects selected out of 145 submitted

The CaixaBank Dualiza and the Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa have selected the most outstanding projects from educational centres for their originality, content or impact in terms of encouraging students to take up vocational training.

Specifically, 28 ideas were selected from a total of 145 submitted throughout Spain. This figure represents a new record in the number of projects presented in this call, demonstrating the interest of educational centres in publicising their educational offer and Vocational Training. It also highlights the need for tools to carry out this purpose.

The interest aroused, in addition to the definitive application of the new Vocational Training Law planned for this year, has led to around ten projects incorporating specific actions related to the new regulations.

However, innovation is also gaining strength in many of the ideas presented, ranging from traditional open days to virtual visits to the centres, or the incorporation of robots that can provide all the information on vocational training to interested families.

Technology is gaining importance in many projects. Thus, it can be seen how, in order to promote farming families, the possibility of bringing a person closer to the formation of a honeycomb and the daily activity of bees is proposed, how the families of students are integrated into virtual or immersive realities, or how an Escape Room becomes an Escape Food to save the population from shortages by attracting new vocations.

At the same time, many are considering the option of approaching young people through social networks, either by using the tools provided by applications such as TikTok or by producing video podcasts to showcase the training on offer.

Getting closer to the reality of companies continues to be the main focus of many of the initiatives, whether through guided tours or meetings and open days.

In most of the initiatives, the gender gap is also addressed through measures to reduce it in strongly masculinised cycles. These include the creation of an application that allows young female students to get in touch with women who have studied technological professions and have developed in these professions.

In addition, projects aimed at primary school students have also been selected, as they lack the prejudices that may accumulate in other age groups and are more likely to receive activities that represent a first approach to vocational training. Once again, the majority of the projects received came from public schools, 71%, compared to 23% from state-subsidised schools and barely 6% from private schools.

Curiously, two of the vocational families that receive most demand, such as Administration and Management and Computer Science and Communications, are also the two with the highest concentration of these guidance projects.

The Guidance Call is a project launched by CaixaBank Dualiza and FPEmpresa with the aim of supporting educational centres in their work to raise awareness of vocational training among students who are in the process of deciding their academic future. In its five editions, around 120 educational centres have taken part through around one hundred projects that have had an impact on thousands of students.

To see the list of selected projects in this new edition, you can access through this link.

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 travels to Leipzig to launch the SiT project focused on sustainability and innovation in the textile industry
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FPEmpresa travels to Leipzig to launch the SiT project focused on sustainability and innovation in the textile industry

The Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa maintains its commitment to internationalisation. FPEmpresa has attended the first face-to-face meeting of the European project SiT – Sustainability in TCLF on 21-22th of February of 2024 at the premises of IHK Leipzig (Germany).

This initiative, coordinated by ITKAM – Italian Chamber of Commerce for Germany, is part of the Erasmus+ Innovation Alliance funding programme and will run until 31 January 2027. In addition, the SiT project involves 15 partners from 8 European Union (EU) countries: Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovakia.

One of its objectives is to promote innovation in education, training and the textile, clothing, leather and footwear sector. Therefore, the European project focuses on the potential of the green transition and the development of new training modules in educational institutions to address green skills gaps.

European companies in the textile sector require technical profiles with digital and green skills

In the first part of the meeting, the project participants presented their roles and the activities they carry out in each entity they represent. Afterwards, an analysis of the green skills required by companies in the textile, clothing, leather and footwear sector was carried out, together with a study of emerging professions with advanced knowledge in sustainability. In addition, ITKAM presented the administrative management of the SiT project and explained how the European partners should carry out the implementation of the project.

FPEmpresa explained its role in the European project. The Association will be in charge of Work Package 4, which involves the development of a MOOC focused on promoting the acquisition of various functional, transversal, digital and green competences. This MOOC aims to enhance the development of students and professionals in the textile sector. Furthermore, FPEmpresa has detailed the initial process that will be followed to implement the MOOC, as well as the informative aspects related to the training, such as the access process, duration and content, among others.

During the second part of the meeting, the other partners presented their contributions to the SiT project, while the Chamber of Commerce of Padua shared the dissemination and communication plan of the work. At the end of the session, several meetings have been scheduled to discuss the next activities of the project, in order to meet the implementation objectives of the European SiT project.

FPEmpresa meets the EfVET executive in Lisbon to propose the agenda for the EfVET 2024 Conference
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FPEmpresa meets the EfVET executive in Lisbon to propose the agenda for the EfVET 2024 Conference

The Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa has attended the meetings of the Executive Management of EfVET held on 18th and 19th of January at the Escola de Comércio de Lisboa (Portugal). FPEmpresa was represented by Carlos de Olagüe, EfVET coordinator for Spain and member coordinator for Madrid and International of the Association.

The day’s agenda included discussions on various topics such as: policy, conferences, financing, projects and teamworks. However, one of the most important topics on the agenda was the preparation of the next EfVET 2024 Conference, which will take place on 24-25th of October in Amersfoot, the Netherlands, as well as the presentation of several proposals on the theme of the EfVET 2025 Conference.

The EfVET team also carried out an evaluation of the EfVET 2023 Conference held in September 2023 in Rhodes, Greece. The Board members have highlighted those areas for improvement to be introduced in the next congresses and welcomed the activities that have been a success among the participants.

EfVET network increases with the addition of new members

During the meeting, the President of EfVET, James Calleja, welcomed the new representatives from Estonia and Norway, “highlighting the growth of the Organisation and the importance of having more perspectives that serve to enrich our reflections”, said the FPEmpresa Member Coordinator for Madrid and International.

After the EfVET members presented their work plan within the network, the Board of Directors established a new update of the EfVET Communication Plan, stressing the need to update the priority communication channels of each EfVET member.

To conclude the meeting, James Calleja has shared with the territorial coordinators the next dates and venue of the EfVET Board meetings, as well as the realization of different working groups to respond to their concerns regarding the next Conference.

“Once again, we thank our colleagues from Portugal for organising this event, which aims to promote Vocational Education and Training under European values. We continue to work for quality VET beyond our borders, and this is evidenced by activities of this nature”, concluded Carlos de Olagüe.

EFA La Malvesía promotes the circular bioeconomy through the European project Circular Bricks
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EFA La Malvesía promotes the circular bioeconomy through the European project Circular Bricks

EFA La Malvesía (Valencia), a centre associated to the Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa, participates in the Circular Bricks project with the aim of contributing to the training and education of new generations about the circular bioeconomy. This project, co-financed by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ programme, will run until february of 2024 and involves the collaboration of VET centres and entities from Spain, Italy, Greece and Romania.

This initiative, led by the University of Rome Unitelma Sapienza, highlights the importance of education as a driver of change in the bioeconomy. “Through innovation and training in work and production processes, the bioeconomy can be consolidated as a key tool in the creation of new sustainable business models and in the fight against climate change”, has said Miguel Guasp, from the International Department of EFA La Malvesía.

To this aim, VET teachers in the agri-food sector will be trained through pedagogical materials. This will enable them to train students in the acquisition of green skills, essential for both current and future industries operating in the European circular bioeconomy.

A green and sustainable future

In december of 2023, EFA La Malvesía met in Italy with the rest of the team to present the results of the work generated by the students of the agri-food sector of the VET centres involved. These results have been very well received and valued by both the VET students and the technical committee of experts.

Moreover, during this meeting, the partners planned the final activities of the project and started the preparation of the final report to be presented at the Final Conference in Rome in february of 2024, marking the culmination of this European project.

“Our aim is to transform our students into real agents of change, and with this project we will achieve this. Without a doubt, this represents a new step forward in the internationalisation of the school and will contribute to improving the professional skills of both teachers and VET students at our school”, has concluded Miguel Guasp.

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 30th of november and 1st of 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 have 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, has 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 have analysed the results and recommendations of the project through the ‘PRALINE Survey Report’ and have 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 education and 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.