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Dual training system launched in Spain

Tuesday 18 September 2012

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The Vice-President of the Government, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, met on Tuesday with the Minister for Education, Culture and Sport, José Ignacio Wert, and the Minister for Employment and Social Security, Fátima Báñez, to strengthen coordination between the two ministries on the promotion of youth training.

The Government has agreed to submit a draft Royal Decree that develops the training and apprenticeship contract and that lays the foundations for dual professional training, to the Council of State.

This represents a significant change to the Spanish Professional Training system aimed at connecting it to the world of business and to create links between training and companies, as well as between study and employment.

The Ministry of Education will present a reform at the meeting of the Council of Ministers on Friday aimed at improving education quality, the main objectives of which include the employability of young people.

Entry into the labour market

In this regard, coordination between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Employment opens a door to the labour market at a time when there are almost two million young people in Spain neither in work or receiving education, according to figures from the Active Population Study (Spanish acronym: EPA) on the second quarter of 2012.

Professional Training can and must be a fundamental tool for reversing the trend that has characterised all labour-related indicators in Spain over the course of recent years and that put Spain at the top of the list in Europe in terms of job losses and the rate of youth unemployment.

A large part of the Professional Training system needs to be redesigned and that can only be done by combining the resources and efforts of the two competent ministries. They will present a Royal Decree within the next few weeks aimed at developing the training and apprenticeship contract and laying the foundations for dual professional training.

Employment and education regulations

The Royal Decree comprises a series of regulations on employment and education affairs aimed at recognising the dual legal regime governing dual training, depending on whether the training and education is provided within the framework of the training and apprenticeship contract or within the framework of the education system.

Therefore, dual training within the training for employment system will be provided through the training and apprenticeship contract, which will be applicable to employees aged between 16 and 30. This will help lower the number of young unemployed and increase contributions to the Social Security system.

Dual training within the education system will be provided through an agreement with partner companies via a work experience programme. The goal is for the company and the professional training centre to anticipate the student entering the labour market during the period of training.