The Council of Ministers, upon the proposal of the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports (MEFD), has approved the creation of two new specialisation courses linked to digital content creation and the positioning of websites and social media management, respectively, both belonging to the vocational field of Commerce and Marketing.

These are two vocational training specialisation courses designed in collaboration with industry experts to ensure highly specialised training tailored to professionals in high demand in the labour market. This new course offering also addresses the need of economic sectors to engage in marketing and communication activities.

One of the courses is the specialization course on Digital Content Writing for Marketing and Sales, lasting 410 hours, whose main competency is to plan, execute, and optimize a digital content strategy to position brands, attract customers, and increase revenue, using methods, techniques and copywriting tools.

The Search Engine Optimization (SEO/SEM) and Social Media Communication specialisation course, lasting 710 hours, prepares students to plan and develop a basic digital marketing strategy, overseeing actions related to organic search engine positioning and communication on social media.

Both training programmes are intended for individuals holding a Higher Vocational Training certificate or, alternatively, those who can demonstrate knowledge that ensures their competence to successfully undertake these courses.

With the courses approved today, the Ministry continues to expand the educational offering of a new Vocational Training aimed at both young people and workers, aligned with employment and the talent needs of the current economy.

The Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports (MEFD) has selected 21 new public schools to join the national Vocational Training Centres of Excellence Network. With these additions, the network now comprises 66 schools.

The selected schools will receive a total of 20 million euros from Component 20 of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, adding to the 41.6 million euros invested in 2022 for the establishment of the network. The funds will fund the plans and integration projects to the initiative.

The members of this network are responsible for digital and methodological transformation processes, organising teacher-training actions at national level, implementing innovation and applied research projects, and collaborating in identifying the needs of profiles in different productive sectors, among other tasks. Equally noteworthy is the fact that they maintain close collaboration with local businesses, business associations and unions, as well as other schools and third-sector entities. In essence, these schools drive innovation throughout the territory, creating environments for innovation, research, and entrepreneurship, and promoting internationalisation in the field of Vocational Training.

The Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports (MEFD) has allocated 3.5 million euros for the creation of 146 new digital training centres in local entities. With these grants from Component 19 of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, the State Network of Digital Training Centres will expand to 1193 units. It is expected to benefit more than 55 500 individuals over the age of 55 with a low level of education.

The initiative aims to provide citizens with cross-sectional digital competences, offering training opportunities regardless of their place of residence. All this to enable them to conduct secure online communications and transactions using their own electronic devices, and to promote digital literacy as a tool for new training and learning opportunities.

These grants will be directed to municipalities to provide students with a physical space for sessions and ensure the improvement of permanent qualification and requalification, in addition to mentors and trainers.

2023

In July 2023, Royal Decree 659/2023, which develops the organization of the Vocational Training System, was issued. This regulation eliminates barriers to help students decide on taking their studies when they consider it appropriate, and adapt their training to their own work or life needs. The regulation will also allow for a wider offering; more than 9 000 training courses of very different durations and typologies, structured into degrees. From "micro-trainings" (grade A) to vocational training degrees and specialization courses or masters of Vocational Training (grades D and E, respectively). All of them will be part of modules with validity and official recognition within the vocational education system and will be certifiable. In addition, it contemplates the design of integrated itineraries in which cycles of different degrees and international double degree offers can be combined.

This Royal Decree ensures the dual nature of all Vocational Education with training at schools and at a company in periods of higher quality and longer duration. The functions of the dual school tutor and the dual company tutor are established.

The regulation also expedites the accreditation of professional skills acquired through non-formal means. It will also help the autonomous communities, trade unions and business organizations to work together with the Ministry to propose new necessary qualifications in the territories or in the production network.

Other relevant aspects that this RD introduces:

• It establishes a professional guidance strategy and promotes internationalization and joint work between teachers, schools and students with other countries.
• It includes new modules in all intermediate and advanced degree cycles that address key aspects for the current economy such as digitalization, sustainability, technical English or employability.
• It establishes a new model of specialized and comprehensive school with training offering for both young people and workers, with several new figures such as head of innovation, head of internationalization or coordinator of the professional guidance service.
• It incorporates other new profiles into the vocational education system such as business experts, who will be given teaching permission; senior business experts, who may join the teaching teams; and business prospectors, who will facilitate contact between the school and surrounding companies.

In June 2023, the Education Sector Conference Agreement was issued. The purpose of this Agreement is to create a Network of Digital Training Schools/Classrooms and has a budget of more than 29 million euros. The foundation of this network is a measure to bring the training offering closer to all citizens through those schools and will allow to make an attractive offering of digital training, due to their proximity and ease of access, with special attention to the most vulnerable sectors of the population.

The Network of Digital Training Schools and Classrooms will allow citizens to train in cross-disciplinary digital skills necessary to function on a daily basis in an increasingly digitalized society, in which essential services such as banking, access to public administrations or consumption is done electronically, de facto excluding a sector of the population that, either due to their age, their low level of studies, or their vulnerability, lacks the necessary digital skills, placing them at a clear disadvantage compared to the general population and significantly worsening their quality of life. These schools will offer training opportunities regardless of people's place of residence or previous studies and, therefore, facilitating access to generalized training compatible with the obligations derived from different personal, work or social conditions. The preferential target audience will be people over 55 years of age with a low level of qualifications, paying special attention to the gender gap, which is very pronounced in this age range. However, the training actions carried out in these schools may also reach other groups of the general population, provided that they are outside the educational and training system, and that they can improve their quality of life through the acquisition of basic digital skills.

In June, the proposal for regional share and distribution criteria for the Vocational Education Modernization Plan was issued. This proposal has a budget of more than 273 million euros, charged to the budget of the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports for 2023, and is set in the framework of Component 20 “Strategic Plan to Promote Vocational Education”, of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR).

The mission of the plan is to create an ecosystem of economic relaunch from the commitment to human capital and talent, and to guarantee professional training and qualification for the entire population, from students of the Vocational Education system to the labour force. The proposal is to turn Vocational Education into a lever for reconstruction through three steps:

1. Recognition and accreditation of professional skills.
2. Improvement of accessibility to Vocational Education and professional guidance services.
3. Incorporation of digitization, innovation and entrepreneurship into the Vocational Education system.

In order to comply with the purpose of the Vocational Education Modernization Plan, the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports has defined the following actions:

• Action 1: Evaluation and certification of the skills acquired through work experience and non-formal training routes.
• Action 2: Conversion of classrooms into applied technology spaces.
• Action 3: Entrepreneurship classrooms in Vocational Education.
• Action 4: Creation of bilingual training cycles for intermediate and advanced levels and specialization courses.

Scholarships and study aids for the course 2023-2024

The budget of scholarships and study grants has reached its historical maximum for the next year. In particular, EUR 2 520 million will be allocated to scholarships and study grants. It is the fifth consecutive year that has increased its funding. Since 2018, the budget has increased by 70 %.

All information on requirements, deadlines, amounts and procedures to be eligible for these scholarships and grants are available on the scholarship website of the MEFD and the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. The goal is to centralise information and make it more accessible. The deadline to apply for general scholarships begins on March 27 and ends on May 17.

In addition, in this new call there is a universal aid of EUR 400 for students of non-university education levels who demonstrate a disability of at least 33%, serious behavior, communication or language disorder or the autism spectrum, in order to cover the additional costs that their families must face. In this case, the minister has estimated that the aid will benefit more than 214 000 students.

2022

Establishment of the national network of vocational training centres of excellence

In July 2022, Order EFP/717/2022 was published. This order, in the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, establishes the national network of vocational training centres of excellence, setting up the regulatory bases which will grant the financial support for its implementation and development. The order also opens the proceeding to applications in 2022.

New Spanish Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning

In May 2022, Royal Decree 272/2022 was published. The Royal Decree establishes the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (MECU) and the description of the levels not included (with the exception of level 5A) in the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education (MECES), regulated in Royal Decree 1027/2011.

The purpose of this framework is to complete and integrate the general framework of Spanish qualifications, aimed at directing the classification, comparability and transparency of officially accredited qualifications.

Included in this framework are official degrees and certifications of the Spanish education system, as well as the certificates of professionalism in the field of Vocational Training for Employment standardised in current regulations.

The Spanish Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning is an internationally recognized mechanism that, through self-certification, guides the balanced levelling of qualifications for their classification, connection and comparability. I also serves to facilitate the mobility of people in the European space and in the international labour market.

New organization and integration of vocational training law

In April 2022, Law 3/2022 took effect. The purpose of this law is to establish and organize a single and integrated system of vocational training. The law will regulate a professional training and support system that will be capable of responding flexibly to the interests, expectations and the requirements for professional qualification of people throughout their lives; and to the competencies demanded by the new productivity and sectorial needs in order to increase productivity and job creation, all while serving the strengthening, competitiveness and sustainability of the Spanish economy. This information is also available in an informative dossier and promotional video.

In addition, this law ensures that any measures and actions that are programmed and developed within the framework of the Vocational Training System must respond to the purpose it serves, with the flexibility required by the generation of versatile training and professional itineraries.

The text has been the result of an intense participation process that began at the end of 2020. It has received contributions from the business sector, the autonomous communities, other ministerial departments, social representatives, numerous associations and entities, and also from citizens. In addition, it has received favourable reports from the State School Council, the Economic and Social Council, the General Vocational Training Council, Sectoral Conferences and the State Council.

Evaluation, promotion, and certification new regulation

In November 2021, the Royal Decree 986/2021 was published, in which the evaluation, promotion and certification of the different educational stages were regulated, including vocational training and adult education.

This decree arises from the need to regulate evaluation, promotion and certification in the transitional period until the new curricula come into force. Therefore, it will be in force exclusively for the 2021/2022 school year and, only for even courses, in the 2022/2023 school year. As of 1 September 2022, the new curricula will begin to be applied in odd courses and the evaluation, promotion and qualification will be regulated by the royal decrees of the different educational stages.

• Basic vocational training: the evaluation of the learning process of students will be continuous, formative and comprehensive. The teaching staff will take collective decisions along the evaluation process and the adoption of the resulting decisions, taking into account pedagogic criteria. The reference point in the evaluation of the students learning process and certification will be the learning results, and the professional, personal and social competences of each module. Successful completion of all the modules included in a basic vocational training cycle will lead to obtaining the certificate of Graduate in Compulsory Secondary Education.
• Obtaining Bachillerato certificate with the Technician in Vocational Training or Arts Qualification: students with this qualification may obtain the Bachillerato certificate after passing the following subjects: Philosophy; History of Spain; Spanish Language and Literature I and II; Co-Official language and Literature, if any; First Foreign Language I and II; and two of the subjects of the corresponding bachillerato area.
• Intermediate vocational training: the evaluation of students learning will be carried out by professional modules, always taking into account the global nature of the cycle. Passing an intermediate level training cycle will require a positive evaluation in all the professional modules that comprise it.
• Adult education:
  • Basic education: overcoming all the areas of knowledge of these studies will give the right to obtain the certificate of Graduate in Compulsory Secondary Education. Likewise, the board of teachers may propose for the issuance of said title those people who, even having not passed any of the areas, are considered to have globally achieved the general objectives of the basic training of adults.
  • Bachillerato: the students who attend bachillerato for adults will obtain the certification provided they have obtained a positive evaluation in all the subjects, or in all the subjects except one.

Equivalences of previous qualifications to the current education system in order to access vocational training education

The new legislation establishes as equivalents to access formative cycles of superior vocational training:

• Bachillerato’s qualification regulated by the Education Act 2/2006;
• Bachillerato Unified Polyvalent (BUP) regulated by Act 14/1970, 4 of August, General Education and Financing of Education Reform.

Relaxation of the requirements to provide vocational training

The purpose of Royal Decree 62/2022 is to relax the requirements to provide professional training offers leading to obtaining vocational training qualifications, professional certificates and other formative offers linked to the National Catalogue of Professional Qualifications. Likewise, it aims to advance in the expansion and flexibility of the vocational training offer.

This norm applies to high schools, both public and private, duly authorized, which offer vocational training qualifications, professional certificates and other formative offers related to the National Catalogue of Professional Qualifications. In this respect, it complements and expands the assumptions provided for in Royal Decrees 34/2008 and 1147/2011 as requirements for the offer of vocational training.