Gender and educational decisions in basic vocational training: discussions and experiences in Spain

ABSTRACT

Basic vocational training (BVT) represents a new opportunity within the Spanish education system to reduce the school drop-out rate and ease the transition into the workplace. However, this educational route is highly male-dominated and presents a high degree of segregation by gender and pathways. It was therefore necessary to carry out a gender-based analysis and investigate the processes, options and reasons behind students’ decisions to opt for a particular professional category. To achieve this, we carried out 35 in-depth interviews at educational centres that teach BVT in the Valencian Community, Spain. Our main findings were that BVT is not only highly male-dominated, but that the female-dominated branches are few and far between, are still subject to strong stereotypes, enjoy less prestige and have fewer job prospects. Therefore, BVT and its impacts are far from gender neutral. In addition, this negatively influences future training and employment options and choices, especially for females, which obviously has a direct impact on their professional careers and life courses.

KEYWORDS:

• Vocational training
• basic vocational training
• gender
• educational choice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Unless stated otherwise, the data presented here come from the Statistics on Non-University Education provided by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. Retrieved from https://www.educacionyfp.gob.es/servicios-al-ciudadano/estadisticas/no-universitaria.html (consulted in September 2020).

2. Compulsory secondary education in the Spanish educational system reaches up to 16 years of age. As for the post-compulsory stage, it is divided into two lines: Vocational Training with middle and higher cycles, and Baccalaureate aimed at accessing university studies. BTV, although related to Vocational Training, is situated in the compulsory educational stage.

3. The Initial Professional Qualification Programmes (PCPI) were the main resource included in the LOE (Organic Law 2/2006, of May 3, on Education), to avoid school dropouts and consisted of training in basic and professional skills but also allowed students to obtain the ESO certificate (secondary school) by taking voluntary modules.

4. Here we refer to data on ordinary, face-to-face teaching.

5. Not shown to be Anonymous.

6. Royal Decree 127/2014 of 28 February, Official State Bulletin No. 55 of 5 March 2014.

7. In the 2018–2019 academic year, 15.65% of the students enrolled in BVT in Spain were located in the Valencian Community and 16.53% of the centres that taught BVT were located in this region. These figures are surpassed only by Andalusia.

8. The administration responsible for education in the Valencian Community.

9. The gross completion rate was calculated from the population that had the theoretical age to complete the indicated educational level. Data referring to the 2017–2018 academic year. Source: Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional. http://www.educacionyfp.gob.es/servicios-al-ciudadano/estadisticas/no-universitaria/alumnado/resultados/series-2018-2019.html

10. Prepared by the authors based on data from the Labour Force Survey, second quarter of 2019. INE. Data retrieved from www.ine.es (consulted in June 2020).

11. Data relating to the third year in the case of the 2015–2016 cohort. Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. Consulted in September 2020.

12. Many of the interviews were conducted in Catalan, the students’ vehicular language, and have been translated to make the text easier to read.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Centro Reina Sofía sobre Adolescencia y Juventud [3/2017].