The Basque Country continues to be concerned about the employability of Basque youth, aligning training to the needs of companies and retaining talent. In this context, employment in Vocational Education in the Basque Country continues to increase. HETEL, the Association of Advanced Vocational Education Schools in the Basque Country, has presented the "2021-2022 annual report on the work situation in the training cycles of HETEL schools". It is the most up-to-date report on the employment of Vocational Education in the Basque Country, as it measures the employment of students six months after completing their studies.

HETEL's new annual report is based on more than 3,000 inquiries made to students from 28 schools (17 in Bizkaia, 10 in Gipuzkoa and 1 in Álava), with 19 professional fields, and it gives better figures year after year. Thus, the percentage of employability in the three stages (basic, intermediate and advanced) has reached 75.4%, three points more than in the previous academic year, and far from the 66.1% of the 2019-2020 academic year.

The report has been published thanks to the support of BBK and the commitment made by that organization in favor of youth employment. The two institutions, specifically Julen Elgeta, the president of HETEL, and Oihane Aldayturriaga, head of talent and entrepreneurship at BBK, presented the research at the press conference, together with two students from the Higher Level cycle who shared their experience.

Qualification and employment

The higher the qualification, the higher the employment rate. Thus, the High-level cycle offers the highest employment rate, at 80.6%, five points higher than the previous year. Furthermore, if students have chosen the dual path, the employability index rises to 82.4% (2% more than the previous year), and in the case of women, to 83.1%. Considering that 51% of HETEL's students are in advanced cycles, this employment data is the closest to the working reality of young people studying in HETEL's schools.

The employment rate for basic level cycles is 53%, for intermediate level cycles 75.3% and for higher level cycles 80.6%. Furthermore, there is a clear pathway from basic level cycles to higher qualifications. 60% of students who finish the basic level cycle continue to study an intermediate level cycle. And from that, 54% of the students who finish the middle level cycle continue towards a higher level cycle. At the same time, 16% of people who finish a higher level cycle do another higher level cycle, and 9% continue at university. According to Elgeta, "these are very positive data".

On the other hand, it should be emphasized that the work related to the studies carried out is 82.7% (it was 77% the previous year). "It is a very meritorious figure, because the characteristics of jobs progress quickly, and as a result schools must position themselves at least at the same speed".

"Higher education cycles have an excellent behavior in terms of employment; 14 of the 20 cycles with the highest employment rate are high-level cycles. Bearing in mind that these data are still provided in a context of economic uncertainty (even though it has improved significantly compared to the previous two years), they provide greater added value", said HETEL president Julen Elgeta.

Furthermore, employment in industrial or technological cycles (STEAM) is 82.8%, and service cycles is 77.1%; "all the data are very good", as stated by Elgeta.