The Fundación Valenciana Premios Rei Jaume I held a conference dedicated to dual vocational training, featuring contributions from various participants from the world of vocational training who provided an overview and insight into the current positive state of this sector.
As part of the series on New Technologies, led by the Foundation’s collaborator Nico Van der Brink, prominent figures were brought together, including the Director-General for Vocational Training at the Regional Ministry of Education, Universities and Employment, Marta Armendia, who offered reassuring words regarding the new vocational training law, the implementation of which has caused some unease. Armendia stated that “I know of no success without effort, nor any path without a stumbling block” and assured the audience that “all students will have their first contact with the business world right from the start, and, together, we will be able to make the most of it all”.
Ricard Guillem, regional coordinator of CaixaBank Dualiza, explained that his organisation was set up “to foster, promote and drive forward vocational training in Spain and achieve a more cohesive society.” Guillem explained that “tackling high youth unemployment, which is well above the European average, has been a raison d’être for us, and creating a training structure that meets society’s training needs drives us forward day by day.” For Guillem, it is necessary to “fill our rucksacks with the ‘know-how’ that comes primarily from experience. In the face of significant changes in the way we produce, organise ourselves and, of course, the way we train,” he asserted.
For Antonio Cabrales, winner of the 2021 Rei Jaume I Prize for Economics, the impact of dual vocational training is clear, and he spoke of the first report produced in Spain on this impact, drawn up in the Community of Madrid.
“Generally speaking, in Europe,” said Cabrales, “vocational training is used primarily in Germany and the Netherlands. The rest of Europe has a training system more similar to Spain’s. We have a very low participation rate and high drop-out rates. We are the European country where the fewest students move on to other training programmes: very few people return to vocational training after university.”
Furthermore, Cabrales continued, “on the negative side, companies could be accused of providing training that is too specialised rather than more comprehensive; moreover, it may be the case that many companies use apprentices as cheap labour,” denounced the Rei Jaume I Prize winner. Cabrales also stated that “it is highly likely that vocational training is retaining students who would otherwise have dropped out, and the low retention rate among apprentices (21 per cent) is surprising when compared with approximately 60 per cent in Germany or 40 per cent in France”.
Among the future challenges highlighted by Antonio Cabrales, he emphasised the need to extend the scheme to SMEs, despite the fact that the cost is simply unaffordable for small businesses. He proposed consortia, “as well as investment in the training of mentors and trainers within the company”. Regarding the new law, the economist stated that “it has many positive aspects, but everything is labelled ‘dual vocational training’ and there is not enough discussion of the trainers, who are essential to the system. A legal framework alone is not enough; we need to engage in more dialogue amongst ourselves to ensure this works well, and to monitor and evaluate the process so that it achieves the desired outcome. Evaluating policies, sharing data and carrying out assessments is important,” concluded Cabrales.
ROUND TABLE
To discuss dual vocational training, the event was attended by heads of vocational schools as well as two dual vocational training students, all coordinated by Rafael Villatoro, vocational training pedagogical coordinator. Raúl Martín, corporate director-general at Familia Martínez, explained that “of the 1,700 people working at Familia Martínez, 300 come from vocational training. But we need more vocational training profiles and we’re committed to internal promotion; we let them develop and allow each person’s talent to guide them towards their goal. We see a degree as the end point when life takes you down other paths,” he explained regarding the skills needed to succeed in the labour market.
Fernando Andreu, from the Xavier Vocational School, stated that “what we’re asked for most is someone who can develop their potential to the full”, to which José Cruz, from EPLA, added, “I’d add values; companies are looking for people who are humble, enthusiastic and sincere when it comes to working together,” said Cruz. “If you want to, you can” is one of the values we should promote, said the Godella executive. For his part, the director of San José School, Antonio Alhambra, spoke of the importance of “transforming the role and aligning the company’s aspirations with the students’ ideas and expectations”.
The students present were asked what they thought about whether or not their training had been useful, and they said, “What I miss most is the classroom atmosphere; and when you join a company, you realise you’re overqualified. “It’s really interesting to share ideas with people who’ve been with the company for 30 years,” said Dani Galdón. And Lidia Puchol explained that “it was a lack of enthusiasm for studying” that led her to vocational training, and the change was so significant that it rekindled her desire to study, thanks to the opportunity to try out different centres and courses. Furthermore, “being self-taught and having the emotional intelligence to adapt are what vocational training has given me,” Galdón highlighted; whereas for Lidia, it is “the confidence I’ve gained about my future, knowing I can work in the field I want, which is what the dual vocational training programme has given me,” she emphasised.
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