In 2017 more than two million young people in Spain were in poverty, almost two million in relative poverty (29.6%) and another 600,000 in severe poverty (9.5%), according to the Report on Youth Poverty in Spain of the Council of the Youth of Spain (Consejo de la Juventud de España). Likewise, the data shows that 37.6% of young people were in that same year at risk of social exclusion and that their geographic distribution is not homogeneous, but rather they are concentrated in certain rural or precarious areas. For these young people from disadvantaged areas at high risk of exclusion, the VET studies can be an effective and accessible way to improve their employability possibilities and build a better future becoming key agents for the development of new productive models in the EU. However, even getting a prestigious VET degree, aimed at professional training, does not ensure that these young people overcome their barriers, access to the market or provide them with real possibilities of emancipation. In spite of the obstacles that they have had to live, these young people can have a great motivation to overcome their barriers, contributing dynamism, enthusiasm and very important skills ... if they develop certain digital and scientific competences. However, to achieve inclusion these young people need support, which is why the VET STUDENTS İNTO TECHNOLOGY COMPANİES project is proposed with the aim of promoting the access of these VET students to the technological innovation sector. This project will include the realization of two intellectual results of great quality and great capacity for replication: - O1. ON YOUR SIDE: VIRTUAL ASSISTANT FOR EUROPEAN MOBILITIES IN TECHNOLOGICAL CENTERS. A digital educational software that will accompany the VET student at risk of exclusion, throughout the mobility process. This result will allow the students to feel protected during their mobility, find resources to help them when they have problems and feel that their teacher and tutor are with them, as well as maps of mobility destinations, the opportunities offered, as well as the culture of the region and linguistic tools. This assistant will also allow them to implement the collaborative work. - O2. CUSTOMIZED DIGITAL COURSE FOR LABOR TRAINING AT A TECHNOLOGICAL CENTER. The second intellectual result will consist of an innovative virtual structured course specifically oriented to the students to develop specifically the competences of the VET training curriculum related to the digital and technological field. In the event that the student participates in the proposed mobility, a personalized itinerary will be generated, adapted to the needs of the workplace where he / she will carry out the mobility, taking into account the characteristics of the student. The culmination of this project will be the creation of the PROGRAM OF TRAINING IN HIGH-TECH COMPANIES, a network of mobilities for students at risk of exclusion to carry out internships in technology companies. An opportunity for these young people not only to have a real job experience and put into practice everything they learned during their VET training and following the materials proposed by this network, but to promote a new emancipatory experience for them (living autonomously, managing their salary, knowing other cultures and generating healthy friendship networks with other European students) that helps them achieve their inclusion and motivates them to fight for a better future. The project will last 24 months, and in addition to 4 transnational meetings, various national activities for the creation of results, virtual activities, and a large multiplier event, 7 student mobilities to test the results created will be performed. High impact results, not only for students from disadvantaged areas, but also for VET centers (which will improve their internationalization and the opportunities of their students) and technology-based companies (which will access students trained specifically for the technology sector who have developed scientific thinking). But they also have a great capacity for transferability, generating tools that can help all students who participate in mobilities of the E + Program even if they are not part of the network of the technology sector.
As a result of this situation, this project has managed to create a new concept of VET, better aimed at the technological sector, in which educational centers and companies themselves generate strong synergies to promote useful learning for both parties. On the one hand, by offering students greater employability in the technology sector, promoting their inclusion and overcoming barriers, and the opportunity to have a work experience in a cutting-edge technology company and a first emancipatory experience; and on the other hand, by providing future technology companies with workers specifically adapted to their unique needs and working methods with great instinct for improvement and effort. With this, we have achieved all the proposed objectives, especially that of constituting a strategic partnership composed of vocational training centers and technology companies from Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Italy, which is capable of improving teaching actions, generating synergies between the private and educational sector, and enhancing the inclusion and employability of VET students at risk of exclusion (in accordance with the European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships, the 2030 Agenda, and the E+ Programme).
In 2018, the successive economic crises that Europe had had to face had a particularly harsh impact on those neighborhoods and cities with already high levels of poverty and risk of social exclusion. In these areas, in many cases in the rural environment, many young people fell into school leaving and exclusion. In March 2020, as a result of COVID-19, the situation of these youth became even more unsustainable. VET had to become a unique opportunity for these young people to achieve inclusion, but in 2018, in many European countries this was not the case. Spain had one of the worst VET sign-up rates of all industrialized countries (12%) along with Greece (14%), compared to the 26% European average. The dropout rates in VET classrooms (more than 43% in these areas compared to the 21,8% average in Spain) and those of unemployment after obtaining the degree were very significant. Obtaining a degree did not ensure access to a highly competitive labor market. Thus, a new teaching model linked to one of the emerging markets, like technology (especially after the pandemic), was needed, through the acquisition of work experience and the development of sector-specific skills.