Government plans to reform vocational training system

The Spanish government is planning to modernise the country’s vocational training system in order to foster a more sustainable model of economic growth. A key objective of the proposed reforms is to improve the employability of young people in emerging sectors of economic activity. The reforms envisage the accreditation of work experience, as well as the creation of National Vocational Training Reference Centres.

The Minister of Labour and Immigration, Celestino Corbacho, and Minister of Education, Social Affairs and Sport, Mercedes Cabrera, presented a draft of their reform proposals for the Spanish vocational training system on 20 October 2008. The proposal is among the measures agreed by the government and social partners in the framework of the structural reforms seeking to achieve a more sustainable model of economic development, based on training and investment in human capital (ES0810019I).

The vocational training reforms will come into force in the 2009–2010 academic year. During the current academic year, the government will enter into dialogue with the autonomous communities and the social partners before bringing the reform to parliament.

Objectives and context of reform

The government reform seeks to improve the social recognition and quality of vocational training as a means of combating early school leaving and of improving the employability of the active population in general and of young people in particular. The aim is to bring Spain in line with other developed countries in terms of the proportion of persons with medium-level vocational training qualifications.

The results of vocational training in Spain are now close to those of other countries within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), particularly in terms of higher-level vocational training, although the dropout rate in Spain is still double the average for the EU27 as a whole. In Spain, holders of middle-level qualifications represent 35% of the population, compared with the OECD average of 45%. Despite the greater emphasis on middle-level qualifications in other OECD countries, they generally report higher employment rates than in Spain. Young Spaniards tend to prefer higher-level vocational training: the number of people with such qualifications in Spain rose from 2% in 1995 to 15% in 2006, which is six percentage points higher than the OECD average.

For many experts, these figures point to the need to improve the social status and quality of middle-level vocational training. The need for improvement is reflected by the fact that the number of university graduates in Spain exceeds market demand and, as a result, some of them end up occupying posts with a vocational training profile.

National vocational training reference centres

One of the main provisions of the reform will be the creation of a network of National Vocational Training Reference Centres, which will be regulated by Law 229/2008 of 15 February 2008. These centres will be opened in all autonomous communities and will be responsible for the programming and implementation of innovative and experimental training activities in the framework of the National List of Professional Qualifications (Catálogo Nacional de Cualificaciones), in order to meet labour market needs.

This network will be coordinated by the general state administration, with the collaboration of the autonomous communities and the most representative trade unions and employer organisations, through the General Vocational Training Council (Consejo General de la Formación Profesional) – a tripartite governmental advisory body.

Promotion of middle-level vocational training

The government aims to attract 200,000 new students to middle-level vocational training, making it an attractive alternative to dropping out of education. To achieve this objective, access to middle-level training courses will be made more flexible by accrediting work experience in combination with training. During the government’s current mandate, a system of public grants will be provided to enable 18–24 year old workers to obtain qualifications while working. The government also plans to promote training contracts targeting young people who have dropped out of the education system in particular, in order to allow them to complete their education.

Educational accreditation of work experience

One of the first steps of the reform was the presentation of the draft bill on the evaluation and accreditation of work experience, which is to be approved by the government in early 2009.

The government estimates that, in the first phase, over 80,000 workers will have their work experience accredited and validated for one of the vocational training modules. However, the accreditation of work experience will not be sufficient to obtain a qualification. Candidates who have their skills accredited will be given individual advice on the stages that they need to undergo in order to complete their training itinerary and obtain a qualification. If they fail to accredit their experience, they will be advised on the training possibilities for future rounds.

The first national rounds of accreditation will focus on jobs related to personal autonomy and dependent care, education and renewable energies. The autonomous communities and social partners will also be authorised to organise specific rounds of accreditation to meet the needs of certain economic sectors.

Views of social partners

The social partners welcome the government’s reform proposal, as long as the recognition of work experience contributes to the flexibilisation of vocational training itineraries. The reform of the vocational training system is a strategic issue, which seeks to promote change towards a more sustainable model of economic growth. The trade unions have emphasised that the draft bill on the accreditation of work experience derives from the development of Law 5/02 on Vocational Training and Qualifications (ES0109203N). All of these issues have been dealt with for a long time by social partners through the tripartite General Vocational Training Council.

Juan Arasanz Díaz, QUIT, University Autònoma of Barcelona (UAB)