Three out of every ten young adults of working age cannot find employment in Spain, which represents a loss of talent and potential for the country, with serious social and economic repercussions. Among the factors that explain this situation, the mismatch between educational training and the labor market stands out. Investment in education, training and specific employment programs is essential to meet this challenge. In this scenario, vocational training emerges as a key instrument. In March 2022, the new organic law on the Organization and Integration of Vocational Training was approved, which aims to convert all FP into dual, that is, a regime of alternation between the educational center and the company. Currently, only one in 22 vocational training students studies in the dual modality.
The standard wants to make vocational training the gateway to quality employment for young people, which is capable of responding flexibly to their aspirations for professional qualifications and the demands of the productive sectors. It is a paradigm shift, as agreed by the speakers who participated in the meeting organized by La Vanguardia and CaixaBank Dualiza. The debate was attended by Mónica Moso, head of the CaixaBank Dualiza Knowledge and Innovation Center; Tomás Alonso, vice president of FPEmpresa and director of the IES Francisco Tomás y Valiente; Luisa Roldán, Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Repsol; María Tosca, director of Employment, Training and Entrepreneurship of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, and Sergio García, student of the higher degree in Administration and Finance FP Dual of Mapfre and student of the CIFP Federica Montseny of Fuenlabrada.
Moso put on the table the data that supports the need for a law like the one approved, which he described as “transformative.” In Spain, youth unemployment reaches 30%, the highest in the EU, but the figure worsens in the case of young people who only have an ESO degree and, therefore, are not qualified. So the law is a key to youth employment and qualification.
The challenge is to put the standard into practice. First, because it has to be deployed by the autonomies, which have the powers, but also to ensure that all those enrolled in FP have contact with the company. “Until now dual FP has not reached 5% of students,” argued Moso. The law establishes two dual FP regimes: general and intensive. In general, the student will spend between 25% and 35% of the hours within the company, while in the intensive it can reach 50%. In both cases, a few hours with a contract for which Social Security contributions will be made.
The standard can also help reduce the high dropout data. In basic vocational training, half of those who enroll do not finish; In the middle grade, the dropout rate is 40% and in the higher grade, 25%. “They do not drop out because it is difficult for them to study, but because they believe that they have made a mistake in their choice,” said Alonso, who, at this point, highlighted the importance of the figure of the counselor who will accompany the young person on their itinerary. He maintained that this orientation task should be done from a very early age so that they can see the different jobs. In his opinion, the fact that the law establishes everything from micro-training to specialization courses, through professional certificates or training modules, will also contribute to reducing dropout rates, so that each young person can shape their studies until configuring their professional profile.
The student agreed with this assessment. “It is good for young people to investigate, looking for ways out and paths, because there is always time to learn and change our minds; That is why betting on dual FP is a very good idea,” said García, who as of January will become an ambassador of dual FP in an initiative scaled and led by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce based on the initial experience of Bertelsmann Foundation and LIDL Supermarkets. This action also seeks to make families aware of the benefits of dual training.
In a dynamic and changing world, in the midst of the digital revolution and with the green and blue economies in full deployment, the connection between the educational world and the business is essential to cover the new professions that are emerging and those that are going to emerge, they said almost in unison. Tosca and Roldán. “The flexibility proposed by the law gives us the ability to draw up different itineraries at a time when we do not know what the professions of the future will be,” Tosca stated. “Dual vocational training is a training that works, that provides employment and quality employment,” declared the Diversity and Inclusion manager at Repsol, going on to report that “the job placement rate is 70%,” even higher than to which they have some university degrees.
“It is the solution to the needs of the market and the student, allowing us early access to a qualified job,” added García, who completed the intermediate degree of Administration in face-to-face vocational training and the higher degree in the dual modality. “In addition, I will be able to work and continue expanding my studies. It is the perfect combination and that is why the work of companies to ensure that vocational training continues to be promoted is essential,” he added. “It benefits companies and students. It’s a win-win,” Moso summarized. In fact, dual vocational training almost always represents the first contact with the world of work and the first opportunity to enter the job market for many students.
The participation of companies is crucial. The big ones, according to Tosca, have done their homework and are acting as training agents. “With a productive fabric made up of 99% SMEs, the real challenge is to add these micro-enterprises,” declared the head of Employment and Training of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce. But the response, she added, “is increasingly positive.” In that sense, she emphasized the figure of the external tutor. Many microenterprises, she explained, say they do not have the time or resources to do this training. “The fact that this figure is external and shared between several companies opens the door for SMEs, although they have fewer human resources, to join the bandwagon,” she added. Also in her opinion, it is very advantageous for SMEs that young people can do shared internships in different companies at the same time. “The figure of the company tutor is key to the success of dual FP,” stated Roldán. In her view, it is necessary for administrations to establish measures or benefits so that SMEs embrace the dual model. “We have to convince them that it is an investment for the future,” Alonso stressed. They all emphasized that companies participate in the definition of the training program, in the selection of students and in their evaluation.
The existence of intermediate organizations, such as chambers of commerce or business associations, which act as a “hinge” between the company and the training centers, will also make it easier for small companies to enroll in this project. Tosca also highlighted internationalization and the commitment to compulsory learning of the languages included in the standard as an important aspect. The lack of knowledge of English is a problem, so many organizations that are looking for mid-level or higher-level vocational training profiles end up hiring university graduates because they have better English.
There was consensus that there is a cultural change. “The best professional is not the one who has the most degrees or master’s degrees, he is the one who has the necessary qualifications for what the company demands. And in this country we have sinned from titulitis,” Roldán emphasized. Large companies, he stated, have also had to do internal pedagogy. “You have to achieve person-position adjustment and through dual vocational training it is easier to achieve it,” he concluded.
The representative of CaixaBank Dualiza said that there is beginning to be a fight for talent because in many sectors the absence of professionals is a reality. In this sense, she commented that companies are increasingly aware that their workforces are aging. “We do not have enough young people prepared to carry out the generational change,” he declared, then adding that “between now and 2035 there will be 14 million employment opportunities, according to the FP Observatory, and more than 80% are for change. generational,” he added. It is very important, she said, that companies see that dual FP is the key that can provide them with differential value.
The objective of the law is for dual FP to be fully implemented in about four or five years, but Alonso advocated raising awareness among all parties so that this deadline can be brought forward. After ensuring that the centers are preparing to take on the challenge, the vice president of FPEmpresa, an association that brings together 625 centers from all over Spain, claimed that there are not many differences between communities because the titles are national. “The citizen has to see that, although the communities have their powers, there cannot be a gap in the contents of a degree obtained in one autonomy or another,” he asserted.
The deployment of the law is also an opportunity to reduce the gender gap in a training that is highly masculinized and for vocational training to open up to other sectors, especially in services, because now the weight is borne by the industry.
García also wanted to highlight that this training is also a door to access the university, a door that he will cross. “I sincerely believe in dual FP. It has served me well and is meeting my expectations. “It has offered me a range of opportunities and, in addition, it gives me the possibility of accessing university,” he stated as a closing note to the debate.