Vocational training: types and access

Vocational Training studies are those that are completed over a period of 2 years, allowing students a better insertion in the labour market, because they are composed of a large part of practices. Unlike university studies where the contents are more theoretical, in VET is mostly practical, so it generates much more work experience within the courses offered.

Currently there are 3 types of vocational training, which are basic, intermediate and higher, but there is also a new one that has generated benefits, which is the dual vocational training. Therefore, we are going to explain what each of them is about and which are the most demanded professional opportunities for this type.

Basic vocational training

Basic vocational training aims to favour the educational, social and labour insertion of young people between 15 and 17 years of age, who leave the education system without obtaining the compulsory secondary education qualification.

Successful completion of this programme offers the possibility of continuing professional studies, generating direct access to intermediate level training cycles. In order for a young person to gain access to this type of vocational training, the following requirements must be met simultaneously:

• The student must be 15 years old or be 15 years old during the first year of the course.
• The student must have completed the 3rd year of ESO.
• The ESO team (teachers) must propose to the family or legal guardians of the student that he/she join the basic level training cycle.

Intermediate vocational training

This cycle is equivalent for professional purposes to the baccalaureate, the qualification obtained being that of a technician, allowing access to higher cycles of study. For this, there are common classes of training and labour orientation and entrepreneurial initiative.

To access this type of vocational training, the following requirements must be met:

• Holding a Compulsory Secondary Education graduate qualification.
• Holding a basic vocational qualification
• Holding a technical or auxiliary technical qualification.

Higher training

In this training cycle, young people have the same subjects as in the intermediate vocational training cycle, but they must complete a final project that is related to the operation of a company. Therefore, the qualification obtained in this cycle is that of higher technician, accrediting that the student is able to carry out tasks corresponding to the job and to assume responsibility for what he/she does.

To access higher vocational training, the student must have the following requirements:

• A baccalaureate degree or a certificate accrediting that they have passed the baccalaureate subjects.
• Intermediate vocational training technical qualification
• Specialist or higher technical qualification or equivalent

Dual vocational training

Dual vocational training is a variant of traditional vocational training, which was introduced a few years ago. Combining school-based training and a series of programmes that adhere to the study programme.

The students develop their studies within the educational centre and in the company, establishing a variable number of hours and days for each of the sites. The aim of this type of study modality is to involve the business fabric in the training of future graduates, adapting the training to the demands of the labour market.

This type of training is carried out through a contract for training and apprenticeship, so students must adhere to the requirements set out in the contract.

To access this contract, students must be between 16 and 30 years of age and not have any professional qualification. And it does not apply to people with disabilities or at risk of social exclusion. In addition, you must be enrolled in an intermediate or higher level training cycle.

Professional opportunities

Most job offers for VET graduates do not specify in the requirements the professional families required. But it is known which are the areas that receive the most job offers. Which are Administration and Management, Electricity and Electronics, Installation and Maintenance, Manufacturing and Mechanics, Commerce and Marketing, and IT and Communications.

Likewise, the VET offers more than 150 training cycles within 26 professional families. Each one of them with theoretical and practical contents that are suitable in the different professional fields, oriented to provide training in those emerging and innovative positions in the economy, allowing a greater incorporation in the market.