Vocational Training (FP) is increasingly shedding the discredited image that had been attributed to it for years. With the impetus of the new law and the growing offer by the labor market of technical profiles or with an average qualification, this educational path is already chosen by more and more Spanish students. Many, 40%, opt for it because they want to start a business, while more than half aspire to continue their education and 27% intend to do so later at university.

According to a study presented this Thursday by the CCC Official Vocational Training Center, Vocational Training is the training alternative chosen by those students who are either already in the labor market, or are looking for more labor flexibility or training that is much more based on practice and that brings them closer to companies (more than 75% affirm that vocational training is the best training to access the company). Specifically, eight out of ten already have previous professional experience, for 44% it is not the first time they have completed a cycle, and 63% combine it with their work.

High employability —the FP rate is 42%, almost four points more than that of university jobs— is, for four out of ten students, the main reason why they opted to enroll in a Middle Grade cycle at the time or higher grade. 22% of the 700 respondents do so to strengthen their practical training and 10% for the shorter duration of the studies, which allows them to acquire certain skills and a degree in a much shorter period.

The survey also reflects some security and certainty for the future. 73% believe that they will end up working in something related to their field of training, and only 1% believe that they will not find a job.

They maintain, however, that the chances of getting a job skyrocket if they bring together a series of more important skills: social skills are, surprisingly, much more decisive for 49% of students than technical skills (who see them as crucial 36%).

But the notion that, according to eight out of ten students, is decisive for finding a job is digital competence, transversal in all sectors. “It doesn't matter what you do, if you are a room waiter, for example, you are going to need it too,” stressed Guadalupe Bragado, director of CCC, during the presentation of the study.

Vocational training as a way to entrepreneurship

However, entrepreneurship is also a key issue for Vocational Training students. In fact, 40% maintain that the studies they are training will help them start their own business in the future. This motivation, Bragado stressed, is something that until now used to be limited especially to the university environment, but that is increasingly present among the students who opt for this educational path, as research has shown.. “This confirms the social change that VT is undergoing,” he added.

In addition, the conclusions reflect how the fact of starting a cycle motivates students to continue training. More than half say they will continue studying. It is worth noting here the difference between what respondents answer when asked why they have opted for vocational training compared to what they conclude regarding their future prospects. If at first only 7% saw it as a bridge to university, when asked about the next step they will take when they finish the cycle, 27% say they will enroll in a university degree, and 26% in another cycle.

More disclosure is needed

The change in Vocational Training is evident, but for Guadalupe Bragado there is still a long way to go. “There are sectors that still have a tremendous journey to go. And the study plans must advance more quickly, because now with the new law they will have to be updated. If the possibility of having more and more teachers with much more experience in their field is introduced, it is something that will undoubtedly favor”, stressed the director of FP of CCC.

Companies also play a crucial role here.. “We have to try to get them to take on more prominence; now we will see it with the new Dual FP and we have to make an effort to get them to join our cause”, Bragado asserted.. There is also a need for greater dissemination, both in schools and in the institutions themselves.. “In the institutes that do not have FP they do not know it or guide them towards that path. There are still parents who are ashamed if their child wants to do FP, and that can't be,” he said.

Thus, for CCC it is essential to strengthen the guidance departments of educational centers so that they can offer their students this possibility, but also bring it to employment: “It cannot be that an employee of the SEPE office does not know what qualifications exist or not be able to identify what it can be useful for a worker”.