This month the newsletter brings many new features! Once again we continue to premiere, this time with a fixed section in the same newsletter dedicated to women, VET, ICT, and STEAM. Every month you will find news related to this triangle.
The first section is from 8 March, and the winners of the Dona TIC 2023 prize in the VET category.
We presented you to Emma Casadevall, who explained in the interview the need for female references for young girls so that they are interested in the sector and above all they are willing to join it to collectively reduce the gender gap.
We have also known the story of Yolanda Moreno, winner of the special mention DONATIC 2023 category FP. Yolanda tells us how she realized that her path was another of what she was atomizing through university and thanks to VET.

The BCN FP Foundation, together with Barcelona Activa, participated on March 20 and 21 in the REBUILD Expo & Congress in Madrid, the benchmark event for industrialized construction, digitalization, and sustainability.
On Thursday 21st, the Talent Marketplace took place in the Auditorium of Pavilion 7 where seven talks were held to address the new professional profiles of the sector and the necessary talent, as well as to present the new EyOCnet teaching network, the new VET law, innovative projects, and strategies and training.
Intervening in the different tables centers of VET Barcelona (Escola del Treball) and AMB (Institut Provençana), Fundació BCN FP and Barcelona Activa, where the results of the study Sustainable Construction in terms of VET promoted by Barcelona Activa are presented.
Rebuild students from these centers also visit, who can take technological and teaching tours of EADS La Llotja in Barcelona and the Miquel Martí i Pol Institute in Cornellà de Llobregat.
The transformation of the building needs to have qualified professionals, and new training that the initial and occupational VET will have to adopt to respond to Construction 4.0.

Through this new channel, we will talk in a relaxed way about vocational training and all the novelties that surround it, as well as the content of relevance and current affairs, giving voice to the different actors that are part of the Vocational Training ecosystem.

“Ara FP” will be a space where the latest trends in vocational training will be discussed, practical advice will be shared, and inspiring experiences will be uncovered…
The aim is to foster a dynamic and enriching dialogue that not only benefits current students, but also those who are considering vocational training as an educational option, or anyone who wants to learn and enrich their knowledge.

From issues related to the new VET law to professional experiences, we will explore all aspects of this educational modality.

With the launch of “Ara FP”, we reaffirm our commitment to promoting vocational training and to making this option more accessible and recognized for all. Don’t miss this new adventure, be prepared to explore the future of learning with “Ara FP“!

We are very happy to announce that we are finalists in the Alianza Award, organized by the Bertelsmann Foundation, in the institutional category to be part of the accelerating unit of the FP DUAL Ajuntament de BCN, a consolidated project with a high investment, where we lead the implementation of dual VET in public administration and participate in many forums and campaigns.

More information about the project is in the FP DUAL section of our website.

On May 16, in Agbar, at the Barcelona School of Water, we successfully held the final awards gala of the EU Water Challenge VET Labs, an event organized within the framework of the Erasmus+ project. The event was inaugurated with an opening session that was attended by prominent members of the organization and the sector, such as Toni Bru, director of Human Resources in Agbar, and Jordi Castillo, head of European projects at the BCN FP Foundation, and general secretary of the FP Network.

The day continued with the presentation of the project, by Sol Bermejo, from the Foundation, and with exciting testimonies from the participants, who highlighted the positive impact of the experience on their learning and professional development.

We were able to count on the collaboration of Mr. Ole Helledie, a trainee in Mercantec. Mr. Ivan BARTRINA, professor of Water Management, at the Esteve Terradas I Illa Institute. Mrs. Sofie Thys, a Biotechnology student, at De Wijnpers, Mr. Ferre Van Herck, a Biotechnology student at De Wijnpers, and Mr. Stewart Tirado, a Mechatronics student at the Esteve Terradas I Illa Institute.

Next, the solutions proposed by the participating teams have been presented:

> The Tree Bunker by Imre DE CRAEMER and ,ge HELLERUP HYNKEMEJER

> The Second Life of Water, by Ferran SILLERO, Andreas A.M. OLESEN and Floor VANDENBERGHE

> The Tower by Magnus CHRISTIAN ALR, ANDRESEN, and Natalia JIMÉNEZ

After a break for coffee, the awards ceremony was held, which honors outstanding participants, professional schools, and the winning group, The Tower, represented by Magnus Christian Alrø Andresen and Natalia Jiménez, and international collaboration between business students and teachers. A great celebration of a pilot project executed with all success.

The closing ceremony of the event was led by Mrs. Montserrat Llonch, Head of Communication at the Barcelona Water School of Agbar, who highlighted the importance of education and collaboration in the search for innovative solutions to face challenges.

On May 21st, the 25th anniversary of the CAT VET System and the awards ceremony for best practices in the field of VET were celebrated. Xarxa FP won one of the awards for 25 years to promote the internationalization of vocational training. More information about Xarxa FP is here.

Below is a part of the article published by the Journal of VET where it talks about the FP Network: (see the entire article here.)

ASSOCIATION OF EUROPEAN CITIES NETWORK FP (BARCELONA)
The Association of European Cities, Xarxa FP is a European association created in 1999 that brings together cities from European countries to promote and promote the internationalization of students, teachers, and graduates in vocational training.
Since its creation, it has been the spearhead for the internationalization of vocational training centers in different European cities. In 1999 he began to develop internationalization projects for students and teachers of vocational training and continued to develop European projects at all levels of education, becoming in 2020 the only institution with the ability to carry out an international project only aimed at young people from training and insertion programs or basic vocational training. During all these years, the FP Network has been a key actor so that every year more vocational training centers can start participating in international projects, and that their students and teachers can carry out international stays in other EU countries. Since 2022, the FP Network has made it possible for international internships and professional stays beyond the EU to be carried out: in Montreal, Melbourne, or Monterrey.
Regarding innovative actions, it should be noted that the FP Network has been developing sectoral knowledge hubs since 2017 to promote strategic partnerships at the European level. Thus, he has developed the projects “Industrial VET HUB”, “Port VET HUB” and “Logistics VET HUB”.
Every year, the FP Network works with approximately 500 companies in different countries of the European Union (90 of them located in Barcelona and its metropolitan area), and encourages and promotes that students and teachers of professional training carry out internships and training stays in their headquarters. Thus, it promotes that companies know the reality of professional training in their environment and maximize their relationship with vocational training centers.
95% of young people who carry out international mobility through the VET Network join the labor market in less than 6 months after their stay or doing post-compulsory higher studies. Thus, it can be said that international stay is a key aspect of entry into the labor market.

Noèlia Serrano, CFGS student in Audiovisual production and shows at the EMAV, explains her experience of Dual FP at the ‘ICUB of the Ajuntament de Barcelona at the Barcelona Film Commission.

You can access through this link.

The Foundation launches a new website on the Ajuntament de Barcelona FP DUAL accelerator Unit, with informational and updated data on Dual VET, as well as enriching experiences of real witnesses, such as Noelia.

You can access here the DUAL VET section of the website:

Unitat acceleradora FP DUAL Ajuntament de BCN

The Sustainable Construction in terms of VET study, promoted by Barcelona Activa and prepared by the Observatory of the BCN Vocational Training Foundation, analyses the dynamics of the construction sector in the territory of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona to find a fit between the gap of talent in the productive fabric, the sustainable and digital transition and the role of vocational training (FP) as a qualifying vector. Construction is analyzed as a value chain that relates the activities of building and civil works, with activities such as installation, maintenance, wood, water, waste, or energy, given the close relationship with sustainable development.

The new paradigms about technology, digitization, materials, and construction processes are, as a whole, the main motivation for the elaboration of this study, not only because of their importance in the fight against climate change but also because of the opportunities they offer for the qualification and empowerment of human talent. In this sense, various job opportunities are detected that promote the sustainable and digital transition, through new housing projects, public works, building maintenance, and energy efficiency improvement.

The study highlights the need to promote certain changes in the sector to enhance talent attraction, and thus achieve a sustainable transition that will not only make construction more competitive but is necessary to adapt to the global climate challenges.

Strengthening skilled labor

New profiles are emerging with renewable energy specialties, circular economy, or 3D modeling and impressions, in addition to those classic trades, among which, delineators, palettes, and heads of work, which require recycling in the world of work of the present and future. It is thus noted that the sector still has a wide margin for development in terms of sustainability and digitalization, and the need to strengthen a skilled workforce where there is difficult profile coverage, as pointed out by the productive fabric and experts. It is therefore a priority to nurture the sector of professionals who promote this transition to the construction value chain.

Thus, the agents of the value chain transmit that VET as well as reskilling training can be a valid vehicle to cover these needs since they allow a green and digital transition to the qualification of construction professionals in those professions that demonstrate the most employability. The acquisition of competencies in ecodesign, bioconstruction, or Smart Buildings are some examples.

To carry out this study and conclusions in the field of employment in construction, 14 partners with different links to the world of construction have collaborated: guilds, clusters, professional associations, training centers, associations, and foundations to support the sector. 113 companies have participated, 14 VET teachers from the Building and Civil Works family and 15 experts from various links in the construction value chain.

Access to study:

La construcció sostenible en clau d’FP

We launched the 6th edition of the Compeuropa Projecte Singular, with Humboldt.

The project aims to improve employability and promote the employability of young graduates in vocational training through:

• A language training in German (level 0 at B1).
• Visits to companies of the AMB.
• Social, cultural, and civic activities.
• Individualized tutoring.
• 6-week professional internship program in Germany.
• Work contract for training and learning of around 12 months with a German company.
• Approval of the Catalan vocational training qualification in Germany.

Throughout April and May, the young participants begin language orientation and training sessions.

So, continuing with the program, we start the sociocultural activities of the Singular project!