Industrialized construction, sustainable building certifications, constructive wood, collaborative work with BIM, Build to rent, Co-living and Co-housing… those are all trends that professional training must be aware of in order to train future construction 4.0 professionals.
With the aim of knowing the latest developments and trends in the sector, from the VET & Construction 4.0 Table, we have organized a visit to the Rebuild Expo Madrid with 4 VET centers specialized on Building and Construction, Wood and Interior Design, from Barcelona and its metropolitan area. There we met with 5 other centers from Madrid, Alcalá de Henares, Zaragoza and Segovia, in order to establish synergies and possible shared projects. Thanks to Rebuild we have been able to attend the National Congress on Advanced Architecture and Construction 4.0, participate in a working table and enjoy a great technological event of the building sector.
Last Thursday, April 7th, the BCN Vocational Training Foundation and CaixaBank Dualiza have organized the presentation of their study: “The Catalan health and social-health sector in terms of vocational training” with the collaboration of Barcelona Activa and “la Caixa” Foundation. The event took place at the Caixaforum in Barcelona.
In this study, an X-ray of the current situation in the health sector and the care and treatment of elderly and dependent people is made in terms of VET. The analysis carried out has involved knowing the characteristics, dynamics and trends of the labor market in these sectors and analyzing the training needs with a prospective view, in order to improve the different associated VET offer.
The presentation was opened by the Foundation’s executive president Sara Berbel Sánchez. “After having gone through an experience such as the social and health crisis generated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are more than aware of the radical importance of health, socio-health and social sector,” she remarked. “This visibility and recognition have resulted, among other things, in more interest for the health sector by young people starting vocational studies”.
Berbel ended by noting that it is essential to have qualified professionals in the fields of assistance, diagnosis and health treatments, as well as professionals who can offer quality care and treatment to the elderly and dependent persons; hence the importance of the study, whose main objective is to identify the training needs of both current and future market.
Angel L. Miguel Rodriguez, General Director of Vocational Training of the Generalitat de Catalunya, continued by stressing the importance of these type of studies, in order to have a deep knowledge of the sector and be able to make proper changes and modifications.
Juan Carlos Lauder López, director of CaixaBank Dualiza, continued stating “the importance of this type of research, which contributes to having a real knowledge of the state of many of our sectors and, in this case, of the most affected sector during the pandemic and, therefore, most subject to changes. Thanks to this analysis we can see which are the strengths and weaknesses, and where we can direct our efforts to achieve improvements that will translate into more and better opportunities for our professionals and for our society”. Lauder added that “for all this, vocational training continues to be a key training, because of the role it has to play in the training of professionals, in updating the skills of those who are already working, and in the training of new technicians who will take on functions that are yet to come”.
Rafael Bengoa, co-director of the “Institute of Health and Strategy (SI-Health)” spoke on Social vulnerability and social-health collaboration. Bengoa stressed the need for a specific technical process to transfer the cost of an integrated health system, also including the socio-health syste , to the political level. To this end, he pointed out, the political implementation must be done from an autonomous level. Successful local experiences are being evaluated, in which both systems are integrated so that there can be subsequent financing by the government. This evaluation, Bengoa continues, would be accompanied by an evaluation of the sustainability of these types of models.
“The study was based on a survey counting with more than 250 organizations from the sector, as well as 33 interviews and 4 focus groups with different key agents”, explains Ana Vicente, the study’s main researcher.
Àngel Tarrino Ruiz, head of the VET Observatory of Fundació BCN Formació Professional, has exposed the main mismatches between the labor market and the different training offers: in relation to specific professional profiles for which the current degrees do not offer an adequate preparation, a scenario of “non-official training” has emerged and it is urgent to regulate it. The competencies and professional categories of these professional profiles are not regulated either. The lack of specialties in the VET system ends up harming healthcare centers that must devote excessive resources to the qualification of certain profiles. Even so, he also explained some of the main assets of the sector: the high social recognition of the sector due to COVID-19, as well as a relevant growth in the employability of both sectors in the medium and long term due to the aging of the population. Tarriño ends highlighting the new VET profiles that will be needed in the future, as technician in: control and quality assessment; Bigdata, 3D printing prosthetics, rehabilitation specialist or gerontology assistant.
Mónica Moso Díez, head of the Knowledge and Innovation Center of CaixaBank Dualiza, pointed out that it is key to develop a comprehensive vision of the health and social-health sector, seeing the interconnections and promoting the flows of information, knowledge and professionals within the framework of this sector.
From the point of view of vocational training, some examples of measures are: the review of qualifications, competencies and functions of professional profiles from the macro sector, the strategic and comprehensive planning of the supply of vocational training, the promotion of the figure of specialist teachers, the linking of vocational training centers to health and social-health parks (with stays of teachers), the promotion of certificates of professionalism and dual vocational training.
Finally, Fabian Mohedano y Morales, executive president of the Public Agency for Vocational Training and Qualification of Catalonia, closed the event by thanking all the key players participating in the study, and explaining the need for the implementation of the 360º orientation that the agency is carrying out, in order to provide documented information on the existing market demands. This orientation, Mohedano continued, involves prospecting studies such as this same study and guidance to counselors on the results of the prospecting to inform the future worker in a more effective way. He concluded by thanking the Foundation for its essential task as one of the key promoters of vocational training.
From Fundació we have once again collaborated with the 6th edition of Advanced Factories in order to bring VET centers to one of the leading events in automotion and industrial innovation. The edition has been very successful, with 351 exhibiting companies, more than 20.000 participants and 295 international experts.
Together with the Department of Education and Advanced Factories, we have participated in the launch of the Factories of the Future Awards for Innovative Vocational Training Projects to recognize the work of the centers in the training of industry talent. At this year’s Awards Gala, the three winning centers have been:
On the last day at the Talent Marketplace, we participated in the session Advanced Vocational Training Experiences for the 4.0 Industry, in which these two were presented:
Kart Project to compete in Euskelec: This is a championship of electric vehicles designed and built by students from vocational training centers. By Jordi Clua, professor of mechanical manufacturing at Institut Mare de Déu de la Mercè, BCN (@mercelekt).
Congratulations to all the winners!
Thank you very much and congratulations to all the Advanced Factories team for the success achieved!
The formal act of launching the Vocational Training Council of Reus took place on March 29th, in the framework of the city’s fair. The VET Councils are meeting places for all the stakeholders which make up the vocational training ecosystem; a useful governance space to have an impact on the territory. Within the framework of the new VET law, they facilitate the promotion of the accreditation of professional competencies, training and guidance.
In the case of Reus, it is a space of consensus and participation of the educational, social and economic sectors to promote vocational training in the city.
The Youth Employment Board took place on March 9th at the Convent of Sant Agustí, promoted by Barcelona’s City Council via Barcelona Activa. With the participation of both Mr. Jaume Collboni, 1st Deputy Mayor, and Ms. Raquel Gil, Comissioner for the promotion of employment and policies against precariousness. The main highlight was the good progress of Barcelona after the COVID-19 situation. Issues like the Action Plan for the Promotion of Youth Employment in 2021 were discussed, as well as many proposals for 2022. All of these, famed in the Plan for the Promotion of Youth Employment 2020-2023.
The Convent of St. Agustí will be the point of reference for the city’s employment policies, providing an integrated service to citizens.
In these recent weeks we have been visiting the different companies and entities participating in the 4th edition of the MetròpolisFPlab, a project with 700 students from 30 VET centers, and from 9 different municipalities. These meetings are intended to create a network between the participants’ talent and the needs of those companies. We considered that the best way to do so is by attending the place where each company carries out its activity.
Last month we already visited companies such as the Catalan Institute of Oncology, MB92 and Port de Barcelona, or GPA Innova and LUPA. Now, we have continued with Circuit de Catalunya, which showed us its facilities and the used tires they want to reuse, and with Arquima, who also wants to take profit of the remains of beams and furniture that they generate.
Barcelona’s City Council, specifically the 2030 Agenda, also received us to explain its challenge: how to reduce the gender gap in the use of ICTs. Lastly, Aigües de Barcelona explained us its clear objective: to promote sustainable mobility among its workers.
Keep going with the projecte! The finalist teams will be soon announced!
The future of the agricultural professions is marked by cutting-edge technology and alternative methods of agri-food production The BCN Vocational Training Foundation has presented the twelfth publication of the collection “Emerging economic sectors and vocational training in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region” dedicated to the agri-food sector. The research was carried out in collaboration with Mercabarna and with the support of the AMB and Barcelona City Council. New agricultural models and the diversification of food production are the main strategies to ensure the viability of the business. Likewise, there is a need for the tertiarization of agri-food farms towards activities that transform and market the cultivated material. Barcelona, February 1, 2022 – This morning, Mercabarna’s headquarters hosted the presentation of the study «Agri-food sector» of the collection «Emerging economic sectors and vocational training in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona», prepared by the BCN Vocational Training Foundation with the collaboration of Mercabarna and the support of the AMB and Barcelona City Council. The event was attended by: Jordi Valls, General Manager of Mercabarna; Montserrat Ballarín, vice-president of the Social and Economic Development Area of the AMB and president of Mercabarna; Àngel Tarriño, coordinator of the VET Observatory; and Javier Gracia, a technician at the VET Observatory. The event was also closed by Héctor Santcovsky, director of the social and economic development area of the AMB. The study emphasizes that in the current context of sustainability, the agri-food model must move towards more climate-friendly models, where technological innovations, shortening of cycles and trade channels of agri-food products and changes in the attitude of consumers are transforming the agri-food system thanks to the digitalization of the sector, sustainable agriculture and the expansion of marketing channels.
Similar professional profiles, but with new skills. Faced with this change in the way we produce, professionals in the sector must make an effort to incorporate new knowledge into daily practice through continuing education and, at the same time, the initial vocational training system must ensure so that the new farmers have already taken them on. In this line, Javier Gracia, from the Vocational Training Observatory of the BCN Vocational Training Foundation, explained that “similar to other sectors, the agri-food industry is immersed in a process of transformation that affects all its professional profiles by on skills related to digitization, technicalization, sustainability and business and business management strategies ” In order to adapt professionals to changes in the production and management system, it is necessary to promote the creation or readaptation of professional cycles to respond to the needs of the agri-food production environment (through specific modules with free hours, project work and FP Dual). However, it is necessary to work with the training offer to attend to professional profiles that are not covered and in high demand, such as specialization in arboriculture and professionals in sustainable food systems. Challenge of the food sector: the generational change and digital incorporation
The future of the agricultural professions is marked by cutting-edge technology and alternative methods of agri-food production The BCN Vocational Training Foundation has presented the twelfth publication of the collection “Emerging economic sectors and vocational training in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region” dedicated to the agri-food sector. The research was carried out in collaboration with Mercabarna and with the support of the AMB and Barcelona City Council. New agricultural models and the diversification of food production are the main strategies to ensure the viability of the business. Likewise, there is a need for the tertiarization of agri-food farms towards activities that transform and market the cultivated material.
Challenge of the food sector: generational change and digital incorporation
One of the most mentioned realities is the degree of aging of the producers, almost 65% are over 55 years old in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona, and the lack of relief. The result is the progressive abandonment of the cultivated area, which has been attenuated by a certain return to the countryside as a result of the 2008 crisis, but which has not managed to change the trend.
The strategy inevitably goes to encourage the agri-food profession among young people and generate a new batch of professionals with adequate training to guarantee the success and viability of the farms, as pointed out by Ángel Tarriño, coordinator of the FP Observatory. Likewise, it is necessary to promote actions for the digital implantation and the technological vanguard to the current farms to achieve optimal levels of competitiveness with criteria of environmental sustainability.
As Hector Santcovsky has affirmed-highlighted the importance of the agri-food chain in the metropolitan region of Barcelona, which generates, as a whole, more than 100,000 jobs in addition to 10,000 companies”, and has highlighted the commitment to have a solid, comprehensive, sustainable, competitive, proximity and ecological metropolitan food system.
The president of the BCN Professional Training Foundation Sara Berbel has placed the agri-food sector as strategic to guarantee quality food in the city. Berbel has warned «that the food future necessarily passes to establish strategic lines to promote training and the agri-food sector to improve the efficiency of the food system in terms of sustainability and food guarantee.»
The general director of Mercabarna, Jordi Valls, states that «this study is very important to empower local farmers from their training, in the face of the challenges posed by sustainable food, which require knowledge, innovation and technology to face a sector that has become strategic «.
Approved the European project Logistic VET Hub, presented by XarxaFP, within the Acció Clau 2 – VET – Cooperation between organizations in the field of Vocational Training, corresponding to the call 2021 of the new Erasmus + program.
The objective of the project is the creation of an international partnership between experts from organizations, companies and VET centers that provide training courses related to the logistics sector, in order to exchange best practices, develop recommendations and analyze profiles, competencies and occupations, according to the needs and trends of the logistics sector in Europe. The project has a duration of two years and counts with the participation of Fundació BCN Formació Professional, Lisbon City Council, Skelleftea City Council, Rovaniemi Municipal Education Federation (REDU), SAVO Vocational College of Kuopio, Tartu Vocational College, and Alfa College of Groningen, as well as with the advice of Institut Cotes Baixes d’Alcoi and Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona.
Introducing our basic VET students project: Professional practices in the EU network FP are intended to improve employability and prevent the decoupling of the education system of young PFI students, and are a step forward in the internationalisation of training and integration programmes in our country. The project is based on an updated analysis of the common needs of FP centres that make up the Consorci promoter of the initiative, and of the willingness of all of them to start offering more inclusive mobility opportunities for their basic VET students.
The project includes 3 15-day group mobility for a total of 32 PFI students, in the cities of Lisbon, Portugal, Munich, Germany, and Toulouse, France. Mobility will take place throughout May 2022:
– Munich (1st and 2nd week of May): 10 students + 2 companions
– Lisbon (2nd and 3rd week of May): 11 students + 2 companions
– Toulouse (3rd and 4th week of May): 11 students + 2 companions
The project is aimed at young people with fewer opportunities, with obstacles for social, educational and cultural reasons that make access to the labour market difficult.
The specific objectives of the project are:
-Facilitate the development of basic, transverse, technical and professional skills among the PFI students.
-Facilitate the development of linguistic skills in English or French among PFI students.
– Give basic VET students project students more work experience within the professional sector of their studies.
-Press the feeling of belonging to the European Union among the basic VET students project student.
Enforce the self-worth and motivation of basic VET students project students to encourage their transition to the Initial PF.
– Accompanies and trains the basic VET students project students in decision making on the educational and/or professional path they want to take.
– To make VET centres more compatible with new tools, methods and content so that in the medium term they start to promote their own mobility projects for students.
– Strengthening management capabilities of basic VET students management teams and cross-border cooperation of VET centres.
– Strengthening the national and international partnership of VET Network.
The expected results are:
– Deposing young professional people with greater employability, facilitating their integration into the labour market.
-Disposing young professional people with more motivation and self-confidence to face the transition to the Initial VET.
-Disposing VET centres sensitized and empowered to boost their own PFI students mobility projects.
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