Carlos Gimeno, the Councilor of Education of Navarre, received a delegation of students from the Community last June 24, to listen to the results of the work session recently held in Pamplona to study what the future Dual VET should look like and to address the requests and suggestions collected. This meeting is part of the 'Voces x la FP Dual' initiative promoted by the Bertelsmann Foundation, which aims to improve student participation and have their voices directly influence the development and improvement of the Dual VET system. Emma Salas, a CFGS student for the Socialization of the CI School of Educators in Pamplona and Rocío González, a CFGS student for CIP ETI Tutera Preschool met with the counselor.

The two young women presented the main conclusions, initiatives and improvement proposals from the recent work session, in which 14 students from the CIP ETI Tutera (Tutera), CIP Virgen del Camino (Iruñea) educational centers participated. CIP Huarte (Iruñea), IES Ribera del Arga (Peralta), Integrated Center for Higher Professional Training in Renewable Energy (Imárcoain), CI Escuela Educadoras (Iruñea), CIP Lizarra (Lizarra), CI Agroforestal (Iruñea) and CIP Tafalla (Tafalla) were the schools.

First of all, the students told the guidance counselor that the guidance received in secondary or high school is not enough to know and appreciate the functioning of Vocational Education and dual learning. In most cases, they found it after starting a cycle of VET, or through acquaintances. They proposed the introduction of guidance centers that make Dual VET visible in secondary and high school.

In this sense, Carlos Gimeno, the education councilor of Navarre, informed them that for years they have been holding meetings and information sessions with the agents who play a key role in the orientation before enrolling in VET. This 2023/2024 school year, specifically, information sessions have been held with secondary school guidance counselors, with 41 secondary school tutors and, as a novelty, information sessions for families, with the possibility to watch all the meetings on YouTube.

On the other hand, the students commented at the meeting that a certain stigma persists, from those who consider Vocational Education as a secondary route for students who still have academic difficulties and that gender bias is felt in some professional families. Families are requested to be involved in information and orientation activities from an early age, to combat the misinformation about the true dimension and scope of the new Vocational Education, as well as to train the counselors of the centers.

Answer

In his response, the Minister of Education emphasized that the new Admission Order not only shows the integration of the VET system in Navarre, but also that, for the first time, a reserve of places has been established for the underrepresented sex in certain cycles. The public Vocational Training Centers of Navarre are also part of the Skolae network, through a program to transform co-education, in which Primary School students visit public VET centers to introduce and improve what VET is, as with the initiatives launched by CIP Virgen del Caminio, from a gender perspective and inclusiveness, with disabilities students and STEM students are exposed in Primary Schools.

Another issue raised at the meeting was the possibility of improving the coordination between the educational center and companies, to improve knowledge of the conditions of work training. For this reason, the companies participating in the Dual VET projects have been asked to offer a 'Welcome Plan', in order to create a standard of information and good practice at this stage, so that all companies can easily implement it.

Likewise, they demanded that the Education Administration take into account the professional sector and companies when determining the general offer of cycles for the new course or the compact modality, and to take into account the resources to guarantee transportation to the VET centers for all students.

The Department of Education of the Government of Navarra is in fact holding institutional meetings with companies in the different production sectors of Pamplona, ​​Tutera, Sakana, Lizarra, Tafalla and Irunberri and is responding to their requests. In addition, the Provincial Community already finances the transport of Navarre's Basic Vocational Education students on existing school routes and through individual grants, with the approval of a new provincial order for school transport that includes all High School and Intermediate VET students and Secondary School cycles as beneficiary students.

Ignacio de Benito, head of the Bertelsmann Foundation's 'Voces x la FP Dual' project, gave his opinion on the usefulness of such meetings. "Students from Navarre, like those from any region of the country, have a lot to offer to develop dual vocational education. They are the ones who are experiencing the transformation that this entails first hand;therefore, their observations are of great value in identifying the gaps that have yet to be filled. It is also a great opportunity for them to dare to be proactive and check that their reflections reach the highest levels," he argued.

The meeting with the Education Councilor of Navarre is part of the meetings being held as part of the 'Voces x la FP Dual' project, in which young people from all over Spain participate. They present the results to the heads of the education departments of their autonomous communities.

The project also aims to support the expansion of the new Vocational Education law approved in March 2022. This law aims to expand the dual nature of Vocational Education, creating a more comprehensive educational context adapted to the needs of the labor market. The intention is to create a framework that will allow a greater connection between the training received and the real demands of the working world, preparing students more effectively for their future professional careers.