2023-06-12 03:59:37
Vocational Training has become one of the most effective tools for linking the labor needs of companies with the job placement of young people, who continue to suffer unemployment rates close to 30%. In fact, the new FP law approved by the Government increases practices so that students learn on the ground. Before, however, they must acquire the necessary knowledge in the classroom and training centers such as those of the ILERNA Group, which has nine offices in Spain and is also a pioneer and leader in online VET. Virgina Agelet contributed from Lleida to her promotion as co-founder and general director of this training group.
-We are used to distance universities, but not so much to online vocational training centers. What are the keys to this methodology?
-Almost 10 years ago, we collected the experience of the Ilerna Lleida training center to promote online VT from a pilot project of the Generalitat. At that time we were only two centers that offered this system, and we have had to adapt as we go along. We already had the content and educational methodology, what was key was to make the user experience as simple as possible. The ease of use for the student is what makes the difference.
-How did they get it?
-A decade ago there were hardly any digital platforms adapted to online FP, so we developed our own tools and have been perfecting them ever since. Technology has improved a lot, but I think that the great evolution has been in the content available for online learning of a VET degree.
-Interestingly, the online boost allowed Ilerna to grow physically as well.
-That’s right, when we started with online FP we only had the Lleida center and now we have nine in all of Spain, and with plans to continue expanding the network. At that time, we realized that having a reference physical center helped us grow, because that offered confidence to the student. And we love contact with them, offering face-to-face classes even online, having classrooms with state-of-the-art equipment…
-How would you define the Ilerna method?
-It is defined as practice, practice and practice, so that students learn in the classroom what they will find later in the company. In face-to-face classes there is, of course, room for theory, but right away we are going to experiment with machines or simulations. And online we have a lot of content in video format, and we also evaluate on video. In addition, for distance students we offer face-to-face sessions in our centers, which reinforces this practical component. At Grupo ILERNA we have made a strong investment in equipment, technology and materials so that all its students have access to a training experience adapted to the real ecosystem.
-Which student profile best fits the online, blended and face-to-face methodology?
-The online profile is usually that of active workers in the same sector, who already have some practice. People from 26 or 27 years old, who seek to retrain or accredit their knowledge. The blended attendance corresponds to this same profile, but with students who prefer to maintain face-to-face contact to reinforce their knowledge, do practice sessions, have a tutor… And the profile of the face-to-face student is the youngest, as a continuation of the school.
-Are there titles that are more suitable for studying in person and not online, or vice versa?
-No, I think it is something that responds more to the personal situation of the student. The health field is very practical, but we have many students who come from working in hospitals as warders, for example, and see an opportunity in acquiring the title of auxiliary nursing technician. They already have practical experience, so they can study perfectly online.
-What relationship do they have with the companies in their environment to know the professional profiles that they will need the most?
We are in constant contact with companies to detect their needs. The FP curriculum is very marked by the Administration, but we can adapt a certain part of the studies in center modules, thanks to the hours of free disposal, especially in Catalonia. For example, in Lleida, we have the occasional participation of Indra technicians in higher computer science grades, to teach students their specific needs, which will help them a lot in their internships at the company and will even help them get a contract. by the end. It is vital to know what the companies need because, if not, when we send the internship students it will not be useful for either of us.
-This is the great objective of Dual Vocational Training: to bring companies and students as close as possible. How has this modality evolved?
-The Dual FP is now in a good moment, although at the beginning it was more complicated, because many students came to the practices without having the knowledge that the company needed. And the companies were not prepared to play the role of trainers either. Now it has evolved and we are already aware that it is necessary for centers and companies to work hand in hand to find out what should be taught in the classroom so that students know how to function in practices. If Dual Vocational Training is well designed, the student will finish the internship well-trained and it is much more likely that they will end up staying in the company, because they will have developed the skills that interest them.
-The new FP law extends the practice time in the current medium and higher cycles. Does it seem like a good measure?
-On paper, yes, because it is very important that students experiment in a real environment. It is clear that the Administration is committed to Vocational Training and Dual Vocational Training, but I think that things have to be made easier for companies, because it is not clear to me that they can accommodate such a large volume of internship students during a course.
-Which sectors do you think will have more demand for workers in the coming years?
-The health sector continues to be in great demand, both for auxiliary nursing technicians and for dependency care. Or laboratory technicians or dental clinics. In the same way, many students choose to take a higher degree in health, before making the leap to university, which allows them to see if they really like the chosen path. Likewise, the need for computer scientists continues to be very high.
-Have the stigmas of FP been definitively left behind?
-I think that the conception has changed a lot, since all the centers are making a great effort to offer quality training, very practical, in which the students really study what they want. It is a different way of studying, more practical and oriented towards a profession, but the level of demand is very high. And people are already seeing this like this. In addition, the FP offers many possibilities, either as a gateway to the university, to prove the knowledge acquired at work, to recycle…
-How do you imagine the Vocational Training of the future?
I believe that the future lies in letting companies contribute to adapting the training curriculum. And that this adaptation is fast and flexible, even with changes from one year to the next. Five years from now there will be professions that we won’t even recognize, because everything changes so fast. We are already working with some companies, but we would like to do much more, to adapt to the job market and train professionals who actually reach the companies and they say: wow!
An expansion process that continues
The evolution of the Ilerna Group has been meteoric, going from having a face-to-face headquarters in Lleida in 2012 to the current nine centers, spread throughout Spain and with the immediate prospect of continuing to grow. “In the coming months we will open another center in Valladolid and Zaragoza and, possibly, another in Madrid, which would already be the third, to continue influencing the health and socio-health training offer. And later we will expand to Galicia”, advances Virginia Agelet, who also explains that in the next courses they intend to open new professional families, such as sports, especially linked to health.
All its titles are 100% official, since they have the authorization of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, and can be taken in the three available modalities: online, face-to-face and blended learning. A flexibility that is capturing the attention of students and that explains the rapid evolution of the group since the foundation in 2014 of Ilerna FP On line.
From that moment begins a path that still has no end. In 2016, Ilerna Madrid, a FP center specializing in Health, was born, and in 2017 ILERNA opened its first headquarters outside of Spain, in Milan. Then will come the Ilerna Sevilla training macrocentre, two macrocentres in Madrid, the opening of Ilerna France and the start-up of offices in Barcelona, Tarragona, Cádiz, Córdoba and Campo de Gibraltar. Its training offer includes 36 intermediate and advanced training cycles, from nine professional families. And they also include college education and graduate school for adults.
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