The Minister of Education, Universities, Culture and Sports of the Government of the Canary Islands, Manuela Armas, explained in the Parliament of the Canary Islands the guidelines of the Plan for the Modernization of Vocational Training of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.
The new VET model proposes to reinforce the recognition and accreditation of professional skills, as well as improving accessibility to it and to guidance services, increasing places, and promoting the Dual modality and bilingualism. With the aim of incentivizing the qualification and requalification of young and working people, it is proposed to promote the recognition and accreditation of professional skills, improve accessibility to them and to professional guidance services, and incorporate digitalization, innovation and entrepreneurship through a more flexible study itinerary.
The Minister added that "we seek to achieve a dynamic, flexible, consolidated system, valued by society and business, that allows citizens to find the learning opportunities appropriate to their needs and aspirations." To this end, this instrument proposes 12 strategic areas in order to meet these goals.
Emphasis is placed on the flexibility and accessibility of these teachings, for which access to different training courses of different duration and volume of learning is favored, ranging from small units or micro-training to degrees and specialization courses, so that each person can design and configure their own itineraries adapted to their professional expectations and work needs.
Training in digitalization applied to productive sectors for teachers is also contemplated (in the 2021 course, 1,300 places were offered and 873 teachers obtained certification). In addition, a training module in digitalization of the analog economy will be incorporated in the intermediate level cycles, and another in applied digitalization in the higher level cycles.
Similarly, the Plan seeks to incorporate skills associated with innovation and will promote the call for innovation projects and the creation of a Network of "centers of excellence in innovation" of Vocational Training in the sectors defined as priorities.
Likewise, actions such as the creation of entrepreneurship classrooms aimed at channeling the entrepreneurial initiative of students through a system of guidance, guidance and supervision of this type of ideas are included. In 2021, 20 classrooms were created, and 27 are planned for 2022. In this sense, calls for entrepreneurship projects will also be promoted and work will be done on the creation of the Network of entrepreneurship centers.
The Plan also contemplates the renovation of the training catalog through the revision and design of new qualifications, as well as the resizing of the VET offer through the creation of new places in certain professional families, a new offer of distance learning cycles and the implementation of specialization courses.
The Dual VET will continue to be promoted, an action that already began in the 2020/21 academic year and in the current one with the expansion of the offer; the promotion of collaborations and alliances between centers and companies; the creation of certifiable training programs for company and center tutors with this modality; the implementation of the figure of dual prospecting teachers by productive sectors (22 in the current course), and the call for aid aimed at students.
Likewise, it is proposed that the VET centers function as organizers of technology applied through simulators and other technological elements, and the creation of networks of centers for innovation and applied creativity. Thus, in 2021 nine applied technology classrooms were created, and in the current academic period the creation of another 10 is planned.
Finally, the internationalization of these teachings is proposed through the training of students with the incorporation of bilingualism in the intermediate and higher level training cycles, and the training of teachers aimed at the official accreditation of language levels.
