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Vocational training growth and regulation in Spain

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2026-10-24 05:41 UTC → 2026-10-27 19:30 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Vocational training (FP) in Spain has reached new historic milestones in enrollment. Following a period of growth where student numbers exceeded 1.2 million, the 2025-2026 academic year saw 1,211,062 students, a 2.5% increase from the previous year. This growth was observed across basic, intermediate, and higher levels, with specialization courses specifically rising by 17.7%. For the 2026-2027 academic year, enrollment has climbed further to a record high of 1,248,046 students, representing a 3.1% increase from the prior year and a 57% increase over the last decade. Queen Letizia inaugurated the new school year at the IES Ribera del Tajo in Toledo, accompanied by Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports Milagros Tolón and Castilla-La Mancha President Emiliano García-Page. The inauguration highlighted the integration of advanced technologies within the vocational network, specifically focusing on excellence centers specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Big Data. To address the evolving landscape, the Spanish Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports is preparing a royal decree to regulate private FP centers. The initiative aims to ensure quality and curb what officials have termed “chiringuitos” (unqualified academic establishments), specifically targeting the online and semi-presential sectors. Proposed regulations include mandatory in-person attendance and a progressive reduction in student-to-teacher ratios for online training. While the Association of Autonomous Private Teaching Centers (ACADE) has expressed concern regarding flexibility, recent Ministry of Education data highlights a significant performance gap between sectors. For higher-level cycles, 78.9% of students in private centers complete their studies on time, compared to 54.6% in public centers. This gap is even wider in intermediate-level cycles, where private completion rates stand at 78.2% versus 45.7% in the public sector. Economic data indicates the private vocational training sector is also expanding, with business volume reaching 1,770 million euros in 2025, a 7.3% annual increase.

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