BASQUE COUNTRY Teachers Councelors
HVET Domain
The higher vocational education and training (HVET) programmes available in the Basque Country are part of the Spanish Education System for vocational education and correspond to level 3 of the professional profiles defined by the Spanish National Institue for Qualifications.
HVET offers a ground theoretical background combined with very practical training, being employability the main focus of the programmes.
Thanks to the great variety of HVET programmes (28 professional fields and 92 HVET programmes) to choose from, it is easy for each student to find a sector of preference.
HVET can be an end in itself but it can also be a way to access further higher education offered by universities or to enrole in one of the 29 specialization programmes available after completing a HVET programme.
More information can be consulted here:
https://www.euskadi.eus/informacion/formacion-profesional/web01-a2hlanhz/es/
Employment
The employment rates in higher VET depend very much on the professional sector.
In the case of the Basque Country, employment rates of some HVET programmes reach almost 100%, according to the annual report elaborated by HETEL about employment rates of VET graduates in HETEL schools (*). That is the case of HVET programmes such as sells management, maintenance of machinery or development of multiplatform apps in the academic year 2022-2023. Source: the latest version of the report is available here: https://hetel.eus/hetelmedia-es/
(*) HETEL´s schools provide training to more than 15.000 students and the data offered by the report can be extrapolated to the rest of the VET schools in the Basque Country.
Learning
Entry requirements of HVET programmes:
Access to the Higher Degree cycles or modules requires compliance with one of the following conditions:
- Be in possession of the Bachelor’s Degree, or a certificate accrediting having passed all the Baccalaureate subjects.
- Having passed the 3rd year of BUP (Unified Multipurpose Baccalaureate): Accreditation through academic certification of having passed all the subjects leading to obtaining the Bachelor’s degree regulated by Law 14/1970, of August 4, General of Education and Financing of the Educational Reform, after the completion of the third year of said teachings. Order EFP/1210/2021 of November 2, which establishes the equivalence, for the purposes of access to vocational training courses, of certain studies and titles prior to the current educational system.
- Have passed the second year of any type of experimental Baccalaureate.
- Be in possession of a Technical Degree (Medium Level Vocational Training).
- Be in possession of a Higher Technician, Specialist Technician Degree or equivalent for academic purposes.
- Have passed the University Orientation Course (COU).
- Be in possession of any University Degree or equivalent.
- Have passed the entrance test to higher-level training cycles (it is required to be at least 19 years old in the year the test is taken or 18 for those who hold the Technician title).
- Have passed the University entrance test for those over 25 years of age
Source: www.todofp.es
Structure of a HVET programme
The typical duration of a HVET programme is 2 complete academic years (2.000 training hours).
In HVET programmes provided by VET schools in the Basque Country, there is an amount of time of training in a company.
In the first year of the HVET programme, the period in the company can be “full time” in the company or can be 2 days in the company, 3 days in school along some months. In total, the student does 128 hours in the company
In the second year, there are 2 possibilities (depending on the demands from companies, the decision from the student and the proposal from the school):
- General possibility: The student goes to the VET school from September to March. From March on and until the end of the academic year, the student will go to the company, 8 hours a day (or 7 hours in the case of underage students). The total number of hours in company in the second year is 480. The total number of hours in company between 1st and 2nd year is: 608 hours
- Intensive possibility: The student starts in the company in June, after finalising the 1st year (also possible in September or even October). He/she will have a working contract or a grant agreement with the company (and will receive some payment) The student will alternate training in company and the school along the whole year. The maximum number of training hours in the company in the second year is 972 hours, in this case. The total number of hours in company between 1st and 2nd year is 1.100 hours.
Source: https://www.fpeuskadidual.eus/
Training offer in the Basque Country:
Based on professional sector:
Based on location and school:
https://www.euskadi.eus/informacion/oferta-formativa-de-fp-en-la-capv/web01-a2hlanhz/es/
Forward Looking
Any HVET programme gives the holder a certificate corresponding to level 3 of the national catalogue of qualifications which enables the holder to take a job position related to the professional field of the HVET programme.
Keep on studying is also possible, through:
- A HVET specialization course
- Another HVET programme (with the possibility of validating some professional modules)
- A university degree, with the possibility of validating some professional modules.
Country Guidance program
Take the leap to higher VET!
It is an initiative from HETEL to facilitate information and clarify different aspects related to vocational education, including HVET, addressed to career counselors, secondary students/teachers and families. It gathers different resources and tools, some developed by HETEL itself and some others by other organisations such as:
- The Basque Government
- The Provincial Government of Alaba
- The Spanish Government
- The VET schools associated to HETEL
- Technological parks
Tools
- Accessible via https://hetel.eus/hetel-fp-info-es/ , it includes videos and a FAQ section about the main aspects related to VET and higher VET (entry requirements to higher VET, enrolment process, hybrid itineraries VET-University…)
- https://fpalava.typeform.com/to/MjgaZsYI?typeform-source=fpalava.com A trivial kind of tool to find out how much you know about Vocational education
- VET training provision available in HETEL´s schools: https://hetel.eus/oferta-formativa/ (the catalogue is sent to secondary schools across the Basque Country, as well as to local development agencies)
- Open doors weeks organised by VET schools
- NeskUP! https://neskup.eus/detras-del-nombre/ Initiative to promote the presence of women in STEM careers in VET, with testimonia, references and initiatives about the presence of women in technology and science at the VET level.
- FP Parke initiative. An alliance among the different associations of VET schools in the Basque Country (including HETEL) and the network of Technological Parks of the Basque Country, addressed to students in upper secondary education to visit technological companies and promote the selection of technological higher VET programmes.
- FP Parke initiative. An alliance among the different associations of VET schools in the Basque Country (including HETEL) and the network of Technological Parks of the Basque Country, addressed to students in upper secondary education to visit technological companies and promote the selection of technological higher VET programmes. After the visit, the students have to prepare an imaginary CV to apply for an imaginary job at the company they have visited: https://www.fpparke.eus/es/edicion-2025/
Guidance Individual Actions
Research and tracking.
- Implement a graduate track system to measure the employment rate of recent graduates.
Communication:
- Share information in social networks, adapted to the target group in each of them, about VET and higher VET, especially during sensitive moments, such as the enrolment period in May-June each year.
- Send information about the training offer to secondary schools and local development agencies.
- Publish research about employment rates and career progress when studying higher VET.
Promote Participation:
- Encourage counselors and secondary teachers to access and use the mentioned tools and resources.
Facilitate knowledge exchange:
- Set up of a working group of career counselors so they can share and exchange their own tools or methods applied in their corresponding schools, as well as to offer them updated information about VET possibilities.