The CaixaBank Dualiza and the Association of Vocational Training Centres FPEmpresa have selected the most outstanding projects from educational centres for their originality, content or impact in terms of encouraging students to take up vocational training. Specifically, 28 ideas were selected from a total of 145 submitted throughout Spain.
This figure represents a new record in the number of projects presented in this call, demonstrating the interest of educational centres in publicising their educational offer and Vocational Training. It also highlights the need for tools to carry out this purpose. The interest aroused, in addition to the definitive application of the new Vocational Training Law planned for this year, has led to around ten projects incorporating specific actions related to the new regulations. However, innovation is also gaining strength in many of the ideas presented, ranging from traditional open days to virtual visits to the centres, or the incorporation of robots that can provide all the information on vocational training to interested families. Technology is gaining importance in many projects. Thus, it can be seen how, in order to promote farming families, the possibility of bringing a person closer to the formation of a honeycomb and the daily activity of bees is proposed, how the families of students are integrated into virtual or immersive realities, or how an Escape Room becomes an Escape Food to save the population from shortages by attracting new vocations. At the same time, many are considering the option of approaching young people through social networks, either by using the tools provided by applications such as TikTok or by producing video podcasts to showcase the training on offer. Getting closer to the reality of companies continues to be the main focus of many of the initiatives, whether through guided tours or meetings and open days. In most of the initiatives, the gender gap is also addressed through measures to reduce it in strongly masculinised cycles. These include the creation of an application that allows young female students to get in touch with women who have studied technological professions and have developed in these professions. In addition, projects aimed at primary school students have also been selected, as they lack the prejudices that may accumulate in other age groups and are more likely to receive activities that represent a first approach to vocational training. Once again, the majority of the projects received came from public schools, 71%, compared to 23% from state-subsidised schools and barely 6% from private schools. Curiously, two of the vocational families that receive most demand, such as Administration and Management and Computer Science and Communications, are also the two with the highest concentration of these guidance projects. The Guidance Call is a project launched by CaixaBank Dualiza and FPEmpresa with the aim of supporting educational centres in their work to raise awareness of vocational training among students who are in the process of deciding their academic future. In its five editions, around 120 educational centres have taken part through around one hundred projects that have had an impact on thousands of students. To see the list of selected projects in this new edition, you can access through this link.
