Basque vocational training and the Basque Country Technology Park bring together 390 sixth-form students at the Donostia Campus to show them the job opportunities available in companies
The FP/Parke initiative has been recognised with the STEAM Euskadi seal from the Basque Government’s Department of Education and Innobasque, and seeks to show upper secondary school students the opportunities available in technology companies
The HETEL and Ikaslan networks, which bring together private and public vocational training centres from the Basque Government’s Department of Education, and the Basque Country Technology Park, today held the FP/Parke Forum at the Donostia Campus. The aim of the forum is to show sixth form students the job opportunities available in companies in the Technology Park, and it brought together 390 students from seven sixth form colleges who visited ten companies in Parke.
After the presentation in the Auditorium to those attending and the institutional welcome, round tables were held with presentations and experiences from former students on scientific and technological vocations and the importance of connecting vocational training with technology companies.
Afterwards, the students visited some of the 10 participating companies in groups: BCBL, CIC BIOMAGUNE, EITB, GEMINYS, AYESA, TSS-SPYRO, COUTH, VIRALGEN, VIVEBIOTECH and GRAPHENEA. The organisations showed the young people what their day-to-day activities are like, as well as the possibilities for professional growth in leading sectors of the industry through vocational training.
FP/Parke aims to spark students’ interest in scientific and technological professions from the perspective of vocational training. To this end, a series of activities is organised for young people in their first year of upper secondary school, as this is the stage at which they must make decisions about their future based on their career expectations. The event highlighted the strengths and job opportunities offered by the different vocational training pathways, while companies and technology centres located in the Basque Country Technology Park on its Donostia campus showcased their activities and their need for specific STEM vocational training profiles.
In search of vocational training talent
Of the 23,600 people working at the Euskadi Technology Park, more than 6,000 come from vocational training. The priority sectors that have vocational training profiles in their workforces are ICT, Electronics, Energy and Environment, Biosciences and R&D. Thus, in Energy and Environment, 37% of people have studied vocational training; in Electronics, 36%; in ICT, 33%; and in Biosciences, 28%. In the period 2022-2024, a total of 1,917 people were hired at the Basque Country Technology Park, of whom 765 came from vocational training, almost 40% of new hires. The number of total and vocational training hires in recent years has been on the rise, and this positive trend is expected to continue in the coming years, highlighting the importance of upper secondary school students being aware of the job opportunities and companies at the Technology Park and the opportunities offered by vocational training.
The initiative involves collaboration between vocational training centres in the Basque Country – members of the HETEL and IKASLAN associations, which bring together more than 100 centres and 43,000 students – and the Basque Country Technology Park, with more than 670 companies employing around 23,600 professionals.
