On July 3rd and 4th, the Asociación de Centros de Formación Profesional FPEmpresa joined the partners of the European project ENNE+ in Spello, Italy, due to the Social Hackathon Umbria 2025 (SHU 2025) event. Throughout these two days, ENNE+ members from Austria, Portugal, Spain, and Italy discussed matters related to the upcoming Eco-Digithon, which will take place in 2026. The participants shared their respective countries’ participation results and addressed organizational issues concerning the project’s agenda for the coming year, establishing key factors to consider.

A significant portion of the discussions focused on enhancing the experience of participants in the competition and implementing new tools within the ENNE+ Community of Practice (CoP), an educational resource platform that already boasts over 1,300 active users. As a result, various action strategies were defined to strengthen the competition, communication, and follow-up for each project during the social incubation process. Feedback from members and users was essential in identifying relevant parameters to shape and reinforce the project’s development lines.

Social Hackathon Umbria 2025

The ENNE+ meeting took place as the town of Spello hosted SHU 2025, organized by EGInA. As part of this event, activities related to art, technology, sustainability, and innovation were held. The goal of these sessions was to promote young people’s digital skills and foster the co-creation of innovative digital solutions that can generate social impact and support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.

The winning teams from each Eco-Digithon had the opportunity to present their projects to an international audience. Representing Spain, the team from IES Sierra la Calera attended with their project MuéveteX, a proposal aimed at improving mobility and connectivity in rural areas through a collaborative transportation app, supported by the Santa Marta de los Barros City Council. Additionally, the program enabled them to develop an independent project with the help of students from around the world.

The Asociación de Centros de Formación Profesional FPEmpresa and Grupo Esprinet have announced the winners of the 4th edition of the Premios Transferencia de Conocimiento de la FP, a competition aimed at recognizing and promoting female talent within professional fields with lower female representation. This edition ran from February to May 2025 and received over 30 proposals from FPEmpresa-affiliated centres, whose videos have already accumulated more than 42,000 views and 13,000 likes on YouTube.

The winning teams received a first prize of €5,000, a second prize of €3,300, and two third prizes of €1,850 each, to be distributed among the school, the teacher, and the students. The winners of the fourth edition were:

Once again, FPEmpresa and Grupo Esprinet present these awards as part of their ongoing commitment to addressing the societal challenges tackled by Vocational Education. Thanks to the collective efforts of all participating centres to acknowledge and tackle the barriers faced by women, the goal of gender equality is becoming increasingly attainable.

Projects addressing female underrepresentation, chemical submission, and unemployment among women with disabilities

The jury assessed both technical and transversal aspects of the projects. These included: the proposed solution, its planning, required materials and resources, impact on the SDGs, reproducibility, critical thinking, innovation, teamwork, and the inclusion of women in STEAM disciplines.

CIFP Marítimo Zaporito, from the Maritime-Fishing professional field, won the first prize by addressing the underrepresentation of women in this sector. The centre proposed two solutions: to increase the current 16% female workforce in the sector, they developed a software application to act as a tool and networking hub for companies, educational centres, and professionals. Additionally, to prevent unsafe situations, they designed a bracelet with connectivity and geolocation features.

In second place was IES Miguel Herrero Pereda, which focused on chemical submission—a growing form of sexual assault. According to Spain’s National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences (INTCF), one in three sexual assaults involves the use of some type of psychotropic substance. In response, the school proposed a compact adhesive device that attaches to a mobile phone case and contains color-indicator strips to detect chemical submission substances in drinks.

The two third prizes were awarded to CIPFP Canastell and IES Francisco Tomás y Valiente. The former addressed the high unemployment rate among women with disabilities and the challenges they face in mobility. Their solution was to design a prototype of an electric microcar with a ramp and support systems for safe driving. The latter focused on increasing girls’ representation in tech careers by creating tech toys designed to spark their interest from an early age, offering more early stimuli and role models.

On April 25th, Badajoz hosted Spain’s first-ever ECO-DIGITHON, a pioneering event organized by FPEmpresa and Innogestiona Ambiental under the umbrella of the ENNE+ (Erasmus+) European project. The event exceeded all expectations in terms of participation and results, establishing itself as a space for collaboration and innovation among Vocational Education and Training students, businesses, public administration, and educational institutions.

“We wanted to create an inspiring space to connect innovation, sustainability, and vocational training—and we have more than achieved that,” the organizers emphasized.

This initiative, co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ program, has promoted youth creativity and strengthened collaboration networks to build a more dynamic, innovative, Vocational Education and Training, aligned with the environmental and occupational challenges.


Team Rankings and Award Ceremony

After an intense day of collaborative work, the participating teams exposed innovative proposals that were assessed based on feasibility, sustainability impact, and digitalization level.

The jury’s decision was especially difficult due to the high quality of the proposals submitted in this edition of the Eco-Digithon. The evaluation panel, made up of Patricia Mora (Director of Innogestiona Ambiental), Elena Argudo (Director of FPEmpresa), Daniel Villa (Technical Advisor for Teaching at the Vocational Training Service of the General Directorate of Vocational Training, Innovation and Educational Inclusion of the Junta de Extremadura), and Carolina Romero (Project Technician at Fundecyt-PCTEX), carefully evaluated factors such as innovation, social impact, and project viability.

The jury announced its verdict virtually on April 28th, and although the competition was tight, Muévetex (IES Sierra La Calera) received the first prize thanks to an innovative digital platform designed to improve sustainable mobility in rural areas—tackling one of the region’s major connectivity challenges. The jury highlighted the project’s strong connection to real community needs, high social impact, and immediate applicability, which earned it the top spot in this edition of the Eco-Digithon. As a reward, the winning team will participate in the 9th Social Hackathon Umbria in Italy this July and will receive €1,000 in equipment and a €250 gift card for the coordinating teacher(s) and community representative.

Another three schools were also awarded for their proposals. The final clasification has been as follows:

 Rank Team Project School Award
🥇 1st Team 8 Muévetex: Digital platform to improve access to rural transport IES Sierra La Calera Participation in the 9th Social Hackathon Umbria (Italy, July 2025)
€1,000 in materials for the school
€250 gift card for coordinating teacher(s) and community representative
🥈 2nd Team 5 Little Big Friends: Connecting the elderly with the young IES Francisco de Orellana €750 in materials for the school
🥉 3rd Team 10 Sustainable garden made with recycled materials and low water consumption IES Javier García Téllez €500 in materials for the school
4th Team 9 Sustainable urban transport: Monitoring freight vehicles IES Ágora €300 in materials for the school

Note: To view the remaining projects, you can do so here.

Roundtable: Dual Vocational Training as a Driver of Employability

As part of the ECO-DIGITHON program, a roundtable discussion on Dual Vocational Education and Training was held, bringing together prominent figures from public administration, the business sector, and education to discuss the challenges and opportunities of Dual VET in Extremadura. During the session, participants addressed key issues in the education sector and shared potential solutions and strategies for tackling today’s challenges.

Key Participants:

  • Pedro Antonio Pérez Durán – Director General of Vocational Training, Innovation, and Educational Inclusion, Junta de Extremadura.

  • Juan Carlos Castaño Carpintero – Training Director, Cámara de Comercio de Cáceres.

  • Pilar Apolo – Regional Coordinator for FPEmpresa in Extremadura.

  • Moderator: Patricia Mora, Director of Innogestiona Ambiental.

During the debate, the strategic role of Dual Vocational Education and Training in boosting youth employability and aligning education with real labor market needs was highlighted. Participants also presented the main updates introduced by the Ley orgánica 3/2022, which has transformed the vocational training system in Spain. The new structure is organized into five progressive levels (A to E), offering a more flexible and adaptable model. This framework enables students to move from micro-credentials to high-level specialization courses equivalent to a master’s degree, creating more personalized and relevant learning pathways tailored to professional demands.

After three editions, over 1,000 participants, 135 projects, and €36,000 awarded, the Premios Transferencia de Conocimiento de la FP are back for their fourth edition, organized by the Asociación de Centros de Formación Profesional FPEmpresa and Grupo Esprinet. The submission period opens from February 12, 2025, until February 27 of the same year.

The aim of the call is to raise the visibility of women in professional fields where their presence is minimal; in many of these fields, their representation does not exceed 5%, as is the case in areas such as Manufacturing and Mechanics, Installation and Maintenance, Energy and Water… This edition adds the professional fields of Image and Sound, as well as Extractive Industries, two areas where female enrollment is very low. Additionally, this 4th edition introduces a new feature: a second third-place prize, meaning more vocational training centers and teams will receive financial recognition for their projects.

The participating teams must be related to professional fields in Vocational Training where there is a gender gap and must consist of 50% female students or be led by female instructors from these professional fields.

Development and Requirements

On March 6, 2025, at 11:00 AM, the challenge will be presented in an online event that all participating teams must attend. These teams will have until March 27, 2025, to submit a video of no more than 3 minutes, clearly and concisely presenting a technological solution to the challenge. The proposal must also contribute to achieving at least one of the Sustainable Development Goals beyond gender equality. Additionally, they must prepare a list of materials and resources required to implement the solution. The winning teams will be announced on May 30, 2025.

The annual collaboration will conclude with two training sessions that maintain a strong commitment to enhancing the knowledge of Vocational Training students in an increasingly digitalized environment. Through one-hour online sessions, FPEmpresa will organize these initiatives, where experts from Grupo Esprinet will share their knowledge and experience.

Through these awards, not only are the objectives proposed by the 2030 Agenda for social justice and inclusion followed—particularly those focused on gender equality—but also digitalization is promoted, and the connection between students and the real-world business environment is fostered through collaboration with Grupo Esprinet.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.