More than 650 teachers had analysed the future of VET and educational centres at the 8th VET Congress organised by the Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa and CaixaBank Dualiza, in collaboration with the Basque Government and the Orange Foundation.

Under the title “Building the VET centre of the future” and over two days, 26th and 27th of october, the Kursaal Conference Centre in Donostia-San Sebastián (Basque Country) hosted the debates on the challenges that schools will face in the medium term, what digital tools they will need and what role companies will play in relation to these same schools and students.

The President of FPEmpresa, Luis García Domínguez, gave a positive assessment of the results of the event and concluded that “working together to think and share what the vocational training centres of the future will be like by asking leading centres, companies, social agents and institutions has been the main objective of the 8th VET Congress. At FPEmpresa, we believe that VET centres need to share and learn in order to plan and design the future necessary for quality VET”.

The director of CaixaBank Dualiza, Paula San Luis, expressed her satisfaction with “the success of an event that has become a benchmark for VET professionals and because spaces like this serve to anticipate the challenges that we will have to face in the future and to work in advance on solutions”. San Luis added that “on this path, CaixaBank Dualiza will continue to support all the needs of both schools and teachers”.

A total of 30 speakers from different sectors, from academic to institutional, took part in the congress in order to highlight the value of the vocational training of the future and share experiences and good practices. Among the speakers were the Secretary General for Vocational Training, Clara Sanz; the Deputy Minister for Vocational Training of the Basque Government, Jorge Arévalo; the head of the Knowledge and Innovation Centre for Vocational Training at CaixaBank Dualiza, Mónica Moso; that of the Regional Secretary for Education and Vocational Training of the Valencia Region, Miguel Soler; and, finally, that of companies such as the Orange Foundation, by the Director of Sustainability of Orange and the Orange Foundation, Daniel Morales; Acciona, Volkswagen and IndesIA, among others.

The FPEmpresa Association also took the opportunity to celebrate its 10th anniversary, promoting vocational training centres with a future. Likewise, the FPEmpresa awards ceremony was held, as well as the awards of the 5th Call for Dualiza Grants.

Also, within the framework of this congress, several visits were made to VET centres in the Basque Country, such as TKNIKA, CIFP Usurbil LHII, CIFP Tolosaldea LHII, CIFP Easo Politeknikoa LHII, CIFP Don Bosco LHII and CIFP Bidasoa LHII.

The Congress has been broadcast live on the official YouTube channels of FPEmpresa and CaixaBank Dualiza and can be replayed in the following links:

Wednesday 26th October
Thursday 27th October

If you wish to consult the programme of the 8th VET Congress, click here.

FPEmpresa VET Schools Association has celebrated the first meeting of the new Board of Directors in Santander. The new members were selected in the General Assembly 2022 of the last month of June. They have been working in their Strategic Plan 2022/2025 and have started to prepare the next Congress. Apart, they have visited the associated center ‘CIFP La Granja de Heras’.

The VIII Congress of the Association will be celebrated in San Sebastián the 26th and 27th of October. An event that will join the associated centers of FPEmpresa and organized with CaixaBank Dualiza, main strategic ally of the Association. Also, this congress will focus on the VET centers of the future and will mark the tenth anniversary of FPEmpresa.

Visit to ‘CIFP La Granja de Heras’

The second day of the meeting has taken place in the center ‘CIFP La Granja de Heras’, whose director is Sergio Silva, FPEmpresa’s coordinator in Cantabria. The center offers education cycles of the Agrarian Professional Family and works with more than 50 companies of the sector. Furthermore, it belongs to Agrocantabria.

During the activity, the visitors have covered the CIFP’s facilities, that has 70 hectares with different uses. Likewise, the managers of the institution have talked of some of the programs, like ‘Friesian goat’s recovery’. In addition, the center is leader in floral art and participates with an association created by the student body to promote the employment in the territory.

“Gather the coordinators of other areas in Cantabria boosts the VET of the community and shows our educative reality”, explains Silva regarding to the meeting of the Board of Directors and the visit. “We feel supported celebrating this event in a small community as ours”, adds.

Apart of the CIFP La Granja, there are other five associated centers to FPEmpresa in Cantabria: IES Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, in Guarnizo; IES Lope de Vega, in Santa María de Cayón; IES Alisal, in Santander; IES Valle de Camargo, in Revilla de Camargo, and CIFP Nº1 of Santander.

FPEmpresa VET Schools Association has received the third prize in the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ category of the Awards of Excellence 2022 for the European projects SCoopConSS. A recognition delivered by the World Federation of Colleges and Polythecnics (WFCP) in the closing of the world congress 2022 in Donostia-San Sebastián. The people in charge to gather up the prize have been the president of the Association, Luis García, and the vice president treasurer, Tomás Alonso.

Colleges and Institutes of Canada (CICan) has finished in first place of the category. The second has been for Centro de Formación Somorrostro, associated center of FPEmpresa, followed for the Association with the bronze medal. Finally, the organization has recognized to Harare Polythecnic with an honorable mention.

The different categories of the Awards of Excellence 2022 have been: Applied Research and Innovation’; ‘Construction’; ‘Sustainable Development Goals’; ‘Cyber and Data Security’; ‘Teacher Professional Development’; ‘Global Citizenship’; ‘Leadershhip in Diversity and Inclusion’; ‘Indigenous Education’; ‘Lifetime Achievement’; ‘Strategic Leadership’; ‘Outstanding Educator’; and ‘Outstanding Student Achievement’.

SCoopConSS

ScoopConSS project (Social Cooperative Contest for Secondary Schools) is a European initiative where FPEmpresa and other six organizations work together: Camera Commercio Italiana per la Spagna; aCapo Società Cooperativa Sociale Integrata; EGInA Srl.; AKETH-DCT (Developmental Centre of Thessaly); Portuguese Association of Startups (APSU); and Centre of Technical Culture Rijeka.

An initiative that has taken to the associated center, EFA La Malvesía, to participate in an international contest celebrated in the National Festival of Civil Economy of Florence. In addition, SCoopConSS is financed by the European Union in the framework of the Horizon2020 funds.

Furthermore, SCoopConSS objective has been to build a Practice Community for European secondary teachers interested to boost their experience by different method business. For that, the initiative has taken advantage of the cooperative principles of self-help, responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity.