Photo of the team that won second prize in the Technology and Values category of the 2026 Ikasenpresa Awards.
The ArteSana project, developed by Basic Vocational Education and Training students at BHIP Ortzadar CPES, a member school of FPEmpresa, has won second prize in the Technology and Values category of the 2026 Ikasenpresa Awards, recognising an initiative that combines entrepreneurship, digital manufacturing and social commitment.
ArteSana was created within the framework of Ikasenpresa, the entrepreneurship initiative promoted by VET Euskadi, and shows how this commitment can become a real opportunity for Basic VET students to develop innovative projects and experience every stage of an entrepreneurial initiative.
The cooperative designs and manufactures earrings and fashion accessories using multicolour 3D printing and laser cutting. The process takes place at Ortzadar’s GarageLAB, an innovation and digital manufacturing space supported by Euskaltel Fundazioa and Fundación Orange, which gives students access to technologies and learning environments closely connected to professional practice.
Each piece is inspired by women artists who have used art as a form of expression, resilience and healing, and includes a message explaining their story and significance. The initiative also has a strong social dimension through its collaboration with Iñurri, an association dedicated to support and awareness-raising around cancer.
Entrepreneurship also has a place in Basic VET
One of ArteSana’s distinctive features is precisely the leading role played by Basic VET students. The core group consists of young people studying Welding and Metalwork through an adapted three-year pathway, supported by students from three other Basic VET programmes at Ortzadar.
Through the project, students have taken part in the design, manufacturing, organisation and communication of the cooperative, developing entrepreneurial, digital, technical and personal and social skills through a real-life challenge.
ArteSana is developed within ETHAZI, the collaborative challenge-based learning model used in VET Euskadi, while Ikasenpresa provides the framework for taking entrepreneurship beyond the classroom and turning it into a real experience. Participation in the Ikasenpresa Fair gave students the opportunity to present their products, explain their purpose and publicly defend their initiative.
The second prize in the Technology and Values category of Ikasenpresa 2026 recognises one of ArteSana’s defining principles: using technology not as an end in itself, but as a tool to create, develop entrepreneurial ideas and generate social impact.
The project therefore reflects a collaborative ecosystem: VET Euskadi promotes entrepreneurship through Ikasenpresa; Ortzadar turns it into an educational opportunity for Basic VET students; the GarageLAB, supported by Euskaltel Fundazioa and Fundación Orange, provides the technological environment; and Iñurri connects learning with a real social context.
ArteSana demonstrates that Basic VET can also be a space for entrepreneurship, innovation and social impact, when opportunities, technology, collaboration and confidence in students’ abilities come together.
Ikasenpresa ArteSana GarageLab Ortzadar
Author:The Association of Vocational Training Centres, FPEmpresa