Vocational Training (FP) is positioned as one of the most valued training options for Spanish youth. Fifty-nine percent (59%) consider Vocational Training to be fundamental for accessing the labor market, highlighting its high employability and the speed with which it facilitates labor market insertion.

Almost 7 out of 10 (68%) value Vocational Training positively, highlighting its ability to specialize (67.3%) and learn a trade quickly and efficiently (64.5%).

The rate of labor market insertion of Vocational Training graduates reflects quite positive results: 36.9% of those who have completed their training in Vocational Training find employment in less than three months, and 22.1% find employment between three and six months.

Despite the progress made, Vocational Training in Spain is still below the European average in terms of enrollment. In 2022, 44.1% of VET graduates out of the total number of graduates in upper secondary education or higher in Spain contrasted with 48.3% in the EU, and only 39.2% of Spanish students at this level were enrolled in VET, compared to 49% in Europe.

These are some of the main findings of the study “Youth Perception of Vocational Training in Spain”, prepared by the Reina Sofía Center of FAD Juventud in collaboration with Gestamp Foundation.

The research was carried out by means of 1,255 online surveys to a sample of 16-to-29-year-olds in June 2024. The aim of the study was to understand the perceptions and expectations of young people in Spain regarding Vocational Training.

The results were presented at the meeting “Vocational Training and Youth: Shared Challenges”, held today at the headquarters of the Spanish Confederation of Employers’ Organizations (CEOE), with the participation of Esther Monterrubio, General Secretary of Vocational Training at the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports; Fátima Báñez, President of CEOE Foundation; Cristina Sobrados, Communications Director of Gestamp Foundation; and Beatriz Martín Padura, General Director of FAD Juventud.

During the event, a round table was held to address the challenges of Vocational Training in Spain, taking into account the business, academic and educational perspective. The participants, Marta Urdiain, Global Head of Training at Gestamp; Adrián Zancajo, sociologist and expert in Vocational Training at the Bofill Foundation; Tomás Alonso Pérez, director of IES Francisco Tomás y Valiente; and Paula San Luis, director of CaixaBank Dualiza, discussed the need for collaboration between all areas to meet the challenges of Vocational Training in Spain. 

Mónica Riberas, General Manager of Gestamp Foundation, highlighted the importance of Vocational Training to generate opportunities among the youth and to tackle the professions of the future. “At Gestamp Foundation, we firmly believe that Vocational Training not only provides the technical skills needed for the current labor market, but also fosters adaptability and innovation, key qualities in a constantly changing world.”