The Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa and the Esprinet Group has presented the 3rd VET Knowledge Transfer Awards on 27th of June at the Esprinet Group headquarters in Madrid. An event in which the IES Alonso Quijano de Quintanar de la Orden (Toledo), the IES Clara del Rey (Madrid) and Campus Cámara FP (Valencia) have collected their respective awards of the III edition of the contest.
Representing FPEmpresa was the vice-president of the Association, Tomás Alonso, who expressed his gratitude to all the winners for their dedication to the competition and, especially, to the Esprinet Group for its collaboration.
‘These awards reflect our firm intention to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), promoting inclusive and equitable education for all. Undoubtedly, initiatives like this encourage us to continue advancing and strengthening our commitment to VET, especially in those areas where female participation is still limited,’ said Tomás Alonso.
‘With these awards, we at the Esprinet Group reaffirm our commitment to promoting key skills and abilities to train the professionals of the future. In particular, by giving visibility to female talent in those vocational training professional families where their presence is testimonial’, says Hugo Fernández, CEO of V-Valley Spain, part of the Esprinet Group.
An award that promotes key skills to train competitive professionals
The winning schools thanked the organisers for all the work they had done and, to conclude the meeting, they were given a guided tour of the Esprinet Group’s facilities. During the visit, they got to know each of the departments of the entity and the different work spaces of the employees.
‘I would like to thank both FPEmpresa and the Esprinet Group for promoting vocational training. For us it has been a double satisfaction. On the one hand, I have never seen my students so motivated and excited. On the other hand, we have managed to make the presence of women visible in traditionally male sectors. We must continue to fight for women to feel that they can work wherever they want’, said Mercedes Pedraza, a teacher at IES Alonso Quijano.
‘For our part, receiving this award that recognises our commitment to gender equality in professional families traditionally dominated by men fills us with pride. This award validates our efforts to create an inclusive and equitable environment for all our students’, said Luz Susana Canelo, head of the project at IES Clara del Rey.
For its part, Campus Cámara FP thanked both entities for giving them the opportunity to be part of the project. ‘This type of activity perfectly complements our training processes in vocational training centres. They allow us to work on innovation, to commit to tasks in addition to our studies and to set challenges that motivate us to empathise with other people and their realities’, said Enrique González, head of vocational training studies at Campus Cámara FP.
‘In addition, it is very positive to work on projects aimed at cycles with less female representation, generating visibility and models for future students. If you get a prize because the project stands out, perfect; but just participating is very beneficial and useful for the students’, added González.
FPEmpresa and Grupo Esprinet
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 2nd edition in 2023, both entities have renewed the collaboration agreement to launch the 3rd edition of the competition, which has attracted 248 participants and a total of 44 challenges presented.