We are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Debats d’Educació by giving the educational community the opportunity to air its views
I am director of the Vocational Training and Enterprise Department of Fundació BCN Formació Professional, with responsibility for the Vocational Training Observatory (Barcelona City Council). I have a Degree in Education and a Master’s in Training of Trainers.
The modular and flexible characteristics of vocational training make it a training option leading to qualification that can respond to the needs of many people at different stages in their professional career, and in this way it becomes a further resource for lifelong learning. Vocational training is a valid tool for defining individual pathways of learning and personal development, since it can provide initial basic training with a view to gaining employment, but it can also update professional skills and offer new qualifications.
Orientation plays a fundamental role in training people and helping them gain professional qualifications throughout their lives. Having information available about the various training options that exist at a given time, as well as the employment opportunities they can bring, and receiving advice and support with defining the pathway itself must form part of a permanent strategy for accompanying people throughout their lives, helping them to take a direction that is suited to their interests and particular circumstances.
The flexible gangways between different studies facilitate the most professionally oriented facets of lifelong learning. Access to vocational training in its present open form, rich in options, makes it easier for people to move towards these studies from a variety of origins, and so this training becomes an extremely valuable resource for pathways that we had not considered until recently, such as access from higher education or having gained extensive professional experience. Recognition of these improved channels and access defines vocational training as a fundamental tool in lifelong learning.