Ferrovial Construction, a company specialized in the design and construction of civil engineering projects, buildings, industrial works and transport infrastructure, today reaffirmed its commitment to Spain’s Dual Vocational Education and Training (Dual VET) system and joined the Alianza para la FP Dual. Juan José Juárez, senior project manager at Fundación Bertelsmann, presented a plaque to Juan Elízaga, Operational Resources Manager of Ferrovial Construction, at the company’s headquarters in Madrid. Also present at the ceremony were Tony Fernández, Head of Talent and Operational Resources Training of Ferrovial Construction, and Carmen González, Technical Advisor at Alianza para la FP Dual. .
The Alliance, established in 2015 by the Bertelsmann Foundation, the Princess of Girona Foundation, the Spanish Confederation of Employers’ Organizations (CEOE) and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, is configured as a nationwide network of over 1,380 companies, schools and other institutions whose objective is to promote the development of the Dual VET system in Spain.
Ferrovial Construction sees Dual VET as an opportunity to enhance the relationship between employers and apprentices by favoring a balance between theoretical and practical training for the occupations and trades in its industry. The dual approach also generates interest in vocational training among prospective students because of the close connection between training and work, all of which offers an opportunity for fine-tuning and practical application of the skills which they acquire, in a process of continuous learning.
The company currently has Dual VET apprentices at several locations in Spain and is in the process of reaching agreements with the autonomous regions where it does not yet have apprentices. They are all receiving practical training to qualify as Advanced Technicians in the fields of Water Project Development, Construction Project Organization and Oversight, Workplace Safety, Industrial Mechatronics, Production Programming in Metal and Polymer Molding, Building Projects and Civil Engineering Projects. Moreover, a dual training process is being developed for Advanced Technicians in Organization and Oversight of Construction Projects in the Madrid region with a view to being taught on a remote basis to students in other regions of Spain.
Speaking at the event, Juan Elízaga, Operational Resources Manager at Ferrovial Construction, said that “Ferrovial Construction considers Dual VET to be very important and this alliance enables us to secure and expedite the process of hiring young talent while also ensuring that the professionals on our projects have the requisite technical skills, which will be reinforced through STEP, our in-house lifelong learning program.”
Juan José Juárez, Senior Project Manager at Fundación Bertelsmann, noted that “Dual Vocational Education and Training is constantly expanding in Spain but it still has a huge scope for development. It is very important that large companies such as Ferrovial Construction are adopting this training model, which brings substantial benefits not only to employers but also to schools, since it provides an innovation component to the training; additionally, young people have the opportunity to train in a real working environment and have more options for finding work in the future.”
