This paper examines the adoption of dual VET in Spain as a process of educational policy transfer. Using Phillips and Ochs' (2003, 2004) policy transfer spectrum and decision-making classification and Perry and Tor's (2008) model of transfer forms, the study relies on semi-structured interviews with key decision-makers in the Spanish central…

In the aftermath of the financial and economic recession of 2008, 130 Spanish students of five age groups (8 to 17 years) and two socioeconomic backgrounds were individually interviewed about unemployment and lower wages. The participants were presented with two hypothetical situations, and their responses were qualitatively and quantitatively…

Europe needs more professionals with dedicated skills to drive the transition to a sustainable and circular bioeconomy, a core component of the Green Deal. A study was made to support the development of educational and training content, methods, tools and structures to achieve a mainstreaming of the bioeconomy in education and training. The…

The "Escuela de Ingenieros Industriales de Barcelona (School of Industrial Engineers of Barcelona)" (EIIB) was founded in 1851 within the context of a reorganisation of technical education in Spain. From 1867 to 1899 it was the only Industrial Engineering school in the country, which emphasises its relevance in the development and…

The feedback between vocational education and training (VET) and the labour market can provide important input for the review and renewal of qualifications. A feedback loop that is based on learning outcomes helps provide deeper insights into what is required on the labour market, what is offered in training provisions and assessed at the end of a…

In this article we examine the European Semester as an innovative form of policy coordination, with distinct effects on education and skills policies for Member States. We analyse the Semester's framing of education policy, and examine its manifestations in Spain and Sweden, two countries considered to be different in their approach to education.…

Purpose: The present study analyzes differences in self-perceived employability (SPE) among Spanish university and vocational education and training (VET) students. It also aims to determine whether factors such as gender, work experience and perceptions of the precariousness of the job market have a differential effect on SPE in accordance with…

This report identifies effective strategies to tackle skills imbalances in Spain. It provides an assessment of practices and policies in the following areas: the collection and use of information on skill needs to foster a better alignment between skills acquisition and labour market needs; education and training policies targeting skills…

The Erasmus programme represents one of the most popular policy measures of the European Union among its citizens. The aim of this paper is to explore the causal effect of this mobility action on labour market outcomes and skills' development in Spain. In order to do so, this research exploits the Spanish University Students Employability Survey…

Teacher associations have historically been important agents of teacher advocacy. However, they are now facing challenges due to the crisis of traditional structures. This has allowed the emergence of new teacher associations that seek other forms of participation in educational governance. Via a comparative qualitative analysis of education…

In this study, we argue that vocational education and training in Spain have increased their status and value over the past four decades at a steady and consistent pace. This pace has been perhaps too slow for the wishes of some but has been properly grounded on a wide consensus among all involved stakeholders (companies, union representatives and…

The low reputation of vocational education in Spain requires schools to reconsider this type of education by taking advantage of its key resources and developing dynamic capabilities. Using structural equation modelling, this study analyses the impact of technological resources on two categories of dynamic capabilities: sensing capability and…

Background: This article explores the social life within and outside the university of 17 young Spanish people with intellectual disabilities studying in a postsecondary education programme. This programme offers training for inclusion in the labour market. Students obtain a certificate, which is not an official university degree. Methods:…

We are living in times of great transformations within the field of education and the labor market. These changes are connected and have to do with an expanded knowledge society, whose implications reach the levels of employability in times of uncertainty. Within this framework, the main purpose of our study is to perform a theoretical analysis…

This article aims to portray industrial workers' vocational training during Primo de Rivera's dictatorship in Spain (1923-1930), based on the Industrial Training Act of 1924 and the Vocational Training Act of 1928. The programme was devised to meet the modernising expectations of a conventional society. The grounds for government interventionism…