Guidance System in Spain

OVERVIEW

The Spanish Guidance System provides in principle access to educational and career guidance services for all citizens at any stage of their lives – whether they are in education or training, employed, unemployed or lifelong training. As Spain is a highly decentralised, guidance is provided by different institutions and organizations of the Central Government and of the Autonomous Communities (regions) as follows:

• Educational system
• Employment system
• Social Partners: Chambers of Commerce, Employers’ Organizations and Trade Unions
• Private organizations

Euroguidance Spain provides detailed information in the official Portal on Guidance and VET “TodoFP”, which is part of the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports webpage.

• Vocational and Professional Guidance can be found here.
• Guidance webs of the Autonomous Communities are provided here.

POLICY  

The Educational Law “Organic Law 3/2020, of 29 December, which amends Organic Law 2/2006, of 3 May, on Education” (LOMLOE, December 2020) establishes the national legislation and defines Guidance as a student’s right, being an educational quality factor. “The educational and professional guidance as a mean to reach a personalized training which contributes to a comprehensive education in knowledge, skills and values” is one of the principles of this law.

All regional administrations are obliged to provide specific services and resources, including specialized professionals, to assure the school success.

Education authorities and schools in the Autonomous Communities (regions) have their own bodies responsible for educational, vocational and career guidance. Likewise, schools providing compulsory secondary education, baccalaureate, vocational training and universities have their own guidance services which offer information, support, guidance and counselling.

Besides, employment authorities have their own career guidance services which are complemented by the services in this area developed by the Social Partners (trade unions and employers’ organizations). There is also a national legislation for the employment public services.

The Educational law “Organic Law 3/2022, of 31 March, on the organization and integration of Vocational Training” integrates vocational training, career guidance and the accreditation of skills acquired through work experience or other non-formal or informal means. The guidance process is also addressed as an obligatory support service for lifelong learning.

Career guidance is defined as the process of information and support in the personal planning of the training and professional itinerary within the framework of the Vocational Training System.

In matters of career guidance, in Royal Decree 659/2023, of 18 July, which develops the organization of the Vocational Training System, reference is made to career guidance in the Vocational Training System in its Titles VI and VII.

For further information about Spanish normative, please click here.

SERVICES AND PRACTICES

1. Early Childhood Education

Information and guidance is primarily focused on early detection of learning problems and giving solutions for addressing them. Additionally, curricula include simulation-based learning as part of students’ early training in trades and professions.

For further information, please click here.

2. Basic Education (primary and compulsory secondary education) and Baccalaureate

In primary and compulsory secondary school programmes and baccalaureate programmes, knowledge about professions is introduced, as well as programmes specifically intended to generate increased interest in vocational training. Curricula include simulation-based learning as part of students´ early training in trades and professions.

In the final year of compulsory secondary education, schools can group subjects together to create two itineraries: one more academic, oriented towards the Baccalaureate; the other more practical, oriented towards VET. This aims to help students make an informed choice about their learning pathway at the end of the stage, as well as to improve their knowledge of labour market.

For further information, please click on the following links:

• Primary Education
• Compulsory Secondary Education
• Baccalaureate

3. Vocational training

As established by the Organic Law on Vocational Training, the VET System is made up of the articulated set of actions aimed at identifying the professional competences of the labour market, ensuring suitable training offers, making possible the acquisition of the appropriate training or, where applicable, the recognition of professional competences, and making available to people a career guidance service that facilitates the design of individual and collective training itineraries.

This System is structured in a double scale:

1. Five ascending grades (A, B, C, D and E) that describe the training offers organised in units designed according to the National Catalogue of Professional Competence Standards.
2. Three levels of professional competence (1, 2 and 3), in accordance with the National Catalogue of Professional Competence Standards, based on the established criteria of knowledge, initiative, autonomy and complexity of the tasks, in each of the vocational training offers.

With regard to career guidance, some Vocational Training System centres have a career guidance service, which offers individualised information and assessment on training offers adjusted to the individual's profile, trends in the labour market or the accreditation of professional competences, among other aspects.

With regard to the Grade D training offer (intermediate and higher grade), a period of in-company training is established with a duration of between 25 and 30% of the total duration of the training course. In addition, the modules of Personal Itinerary for Employability I and II contribute to the development of transversal skills and abilities, career guidance and entrepreneurship, among other aspects.

For further information, please click here.

4. Adult Learning / Longlife learning

There is a specific offer of regulated training for adults. Besides, there is a wide and diverse non-formal training accessible to all individuals. There are also special schools for adults, and open and distance learning via e-learning platforms offering courses, helping virtually all students at all levels of the education system.

For further information, please click here.

5. Higher Education

Universities in Spain provide career guidance services and you can find links and information about them here.

6. Employment

The Public Employment Service is an autonomous institution within the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy. The service is responsible for active employment policies, as well as for information and guidance on labour issues, and provides career guidance to practitioners.

TRAINING

Spanish guidance counsellors working for the education public sector are mainly psychologists or pedagogues (Master’s degree) that have passed a competitive exam to become civil servants, with the following organization:

• Multi-professional guidance teams, which work with students in pre-primary and primary education levels. There are also some specialized guidance teams for specific disabilities. These teams are dependent on the Regional Education Authorities of the Autonomous Communities. There are some regions that have a guidance practitioner in each school.
• Guidance and Counselling Departments at all secondary, post-secondary schools and many VET centres. They are also dependent on the regional educational authorities, but are school-based services. Career guidance for lifelong professional development is of particular importance in schools offering VET degrees.
• Students’ information centers and career guidance services are also to be found at public universities. In general, private schools and universities also offer career guidance services.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

The main topics in research are:

• Early detection of learning difficulties, ensuring students’ learning success from an early age.
• Vocational guidance in early educational stages, introducing vocational guidance in compulsory secondary education as part of the guidance process, so that students have all the tools and skills necessary to make informed decisions at the end of Basic Education, whether they choose to further their education or enter the workforce.
• Vocational guidance training for all the teachers, developing appropriate mechanisms for teacher training in vocational guidance. In order to do this, it is essential to understand that the teacher, especially tutor teacher, is the closest person to the student and has an influence on his/her students that makes him/her the most suitable person to perform some guidance tasks. These not only refer to personalised guidance, but include encouraging and preparing students to manage their own careers (Career Management Skills, CMS).
• Continuous training for guidance professionals, so that they can meet the different needs on the target groups: students in the education system, early school leavers, students at risk of exclusion, adult job seekers, at-risk groups, vulnerable groups, minorities, and others. The aim is to reach all people regardless of age, personal situation or geographic location.
• Updating guidance tools, through the development of current, effective and efficient tools, relying on ICTs to bring guidance closer to individuals or groups and widen access to all citizens.
• Setting up a national forum on guidance that would allow the establishment of an institutional national framework for educational, vocational and career guidance which will promote cooperation between all agents involved in this field.

ETHICS

The framework and limits of the work of a guidance counsellor in the educational system are set out by the different regulations imposed by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports through the official publication of regulations (Official State Bulletin) and regional legislations.

Last update by ©Euroguidance Spain (September 2024).