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SPAIN: Students compete with innovative projects

Competition showcases student work and the importance of vocational education

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Center Estrecho, in Madrid, recently held the “V Competition of Projects and Experiences of Basic Vocational Training,” which brought together students and teachers from Salesian vocational training centers from five communities in Spain. The competition highlights the ingenuity of young vocational training students and their methods to improve society. Several companies supported this competition to show support for youth.

The competition also showcases the importance of basic vocational training and the educators who do this work. Students share their projects at the school pavilion, and other students, educators and participants can observe the creations and interact with them. This year’s innovative projects included the “awesome car” to curb climate change, a sustainable automatic greenhouse and a panic button for vulnerable seniors.

“Salesian vocational training such as this is important for youth who might have dropped out of school and need a second chance at education,” said Father Timothy Ploch, interim director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Not only will students gain the skills for employment, but through the training program they will also obtain a Compulsory Secondary Education diploma, which guarantees them a greater likelihood of continuing their studies with an intermediate or high school diploma.”

Salesian vocational education is available in 36 schools and 25 vocational educational training centers in the Saint James the Greater Salesian Province in Spain. This represents more than one-third of the 30,000 students in the Salesian educational centers of the province. They are educated by nearly 2,500 educators.

Salesian missionaries have also been working for many years to provide educational and workforce development opportunities for poor youth and women in Spain through residential, technical, and vocational training programs.

Close to 32% of young Spanish workers under the age of 25 are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. Poor youth with few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment. Women in Spain face inequality in the workforce. They earn up to 14% less than men and represent only 34.5% of those listed as the highest earners in Spain.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Spain – Over 700 students and 27 innovative projects at the V Competition of Basic Level Vocational Training

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain