Categories:
Vocational Education and Training (VET) is at a pivotal moment in Spain. After becoming a strategic pillar for employability and economic competitiveness in recent years, it was further strengthened by the Organic Law on the Organization and Integration of VET (LOFP), approved in 2022. This new framework has accelerated the transformation of this educational segment, with a clear objective: to unify training pathways, bring them closer to the productive sector, and ensure students enter the labor market with the skills companies currently demand.
Under these premises, the role of teachers is more critical than ever. While in compulsory education, the current debate has shifted toward the use of technology and the risks associated with screen time, in VET the urgency is different: how to train teachers so they can pass on immediately applicable knowledge to students in increasingly digital and fast-changing sectors. Preparing educators is the key to making VET an actual engine of economic and social development.
The challenges facing teachers are clear. Within the same institution, educators often exhibit very different levels of digital literacy, creating or widening preparation gaps. This is compounded by, in some cases, a lack of resources tailored to each professional field, as digitalization in healthcare does not require the same skills as in electricity or sociocultural services. At the same time, teachers themselves are calling for practical training and real support along this new path. It is not enough to deliver theoretical content; they need tools that enable them to transform how they teach and connect VET to business realities. When delivered effectively, this type of training makes the difference between a static VET system and a dynamic one that is truly aligned with the labor market.
In this context, value propositions, such as those offered by the edtech company ODILO, take on particular relevance. The company does not simply provide administrations with a catalog of courses; instead, it delivers a comprehensive learning platform that combines technology, content, and strategic support. Its key strength lies in personalization: learning pathways designed for each professional family, resources aligned with regional curricula, and practical experiences that teachers can immediately bring into the classroom, regardless of location.
For example, the Department of Education of the Government of Navarre was among the first to recognize the urgency of action in this area. The same was true for the Ministry of Education, Science, and Vocational Training of the Regional Government of Extremadura, whose assessment was clear: VET teachers needed specific training in two key areas for future employability—digitalization and sustainability. The response came through ODILO, with the creation of an innovative platform offering a training pathway tailored to the region’s specific characteristics and its most in-demand professional fields.
The program includes ten courses, divided into five focused on digitalization and five on sustainability. Each course is designed for one of the five professional families with the most significant presence in the region: Administration and Management, IT and Communications, Sociocultural and Community Services, Electricity and Electronics, and Healthcare. With this approach, the content goes beyond theory and adapts to the concrete needs of each sector.
Projects like these, developed by ODILO, deliver a dual impact: in the short term, they equip teachers with skills they can apply in their daily work; in the medium term, they ensure that students in Extremadura are better prepared for a labor market that increasingly demands these competencies.
“When we talk about training VET teachers, we mean offering personalized learning pathways that respond to the real needs of their productive environment,” says Ainhoa Marcos, Global VP of Education & Public Sector at ODILO. “In Extremadura, for example, digitalization and sustainability are key, but their application differs greatly between healthcare and sociocultural services. Our value lies in supporting each professional family with tailored resources so that learning has an immediate impact in the classroom.”
Navarre’s experience is one of the strongest benchmarks for VET transformation in Spain. The Department of Education of the Government of Navarre faced a complex regulatory challenge: implementing the new Digitalization Applied to Productive Sectors module, which is mandatory and transversal across all intermediate and advanced VET programs. The initial obstacles included wide disparities in teachers’ digital skills, a lack of resources to address the module across all professional families, and the need for practical support beyond theory.
Working with ODILO, Navarre rolled out a Transversal Digitalization Learning Area, aligned with LOFP requirements and focused on practical outcomes. The solution included more than 350 available resources, fifteen digitalization courses for intermediate and advanced VET teachers, and learning experiences offered in both Spanish and Basque, adapted to each professional family. The initiative not only ensured regulatory compliance but also transformed how teachers approach digitalization in the classroom.
“If we want to connect innovation with employability, everything must be supported by training,” explains Paula Ramírez, Director of the VET Modernization and Innovation Service in Navarre. “The more we train and the better tools we use project-based learning, challenges, collaboration with companies the closer we will be to the innovation that productive sectors need. This is where ODILO has played a key role, by offering scalable, tailored resources that our teachers have greatly appreciated.”
“In this case, Navarre’s experience shows that when teachers are supported with practical, applicable resources, regulation stops being a burden and becomes an opportunity,” adds Ainhoa Marcos. “Our role is to facilitate this process by building an ecosystem that combines technology, content, and continuous support. Ultimately, the goal is to comply with the law while better preparing students for an increasingly demanding and constantly evolving labor market.”
These cases clearly illustrate a scalable and replicable model. Investing in VET teacher training ensures that students receive up-to-date, practical education aligned with business demand. ODILO’s differentiating value lies in its personalized learning pathways, scalability to reach thousands of teachers across regions, and hands-on support that ensures knowledge transfer to the classroom.
The future of VET and, by extension, employability in Spain depends mainly on its teachers. Preparing educators means preparing students, and preparing students means preparing the future of each region. VET thus moves beyond being merely a training pathway to become an actual engine of innovation and economic development.