The Training and Work Week will also host the Saló de l’Ocupació Juvenil and Futura
The Saló de l’Ensenyament promotes Vocational Training with a wider range of centres and qualifications
The Saló de l’Ensenyament returns to Fira de Barcelona’s Montjuïc venue from 18th to 22nd March 2020 with an expanded range of academic and guidance services, especially for vocational training qualifications. The event forms part of the Training and Labour Week, which will also include Futura, the Salón de los Masters y Postgrados, and the Saló de l’Ocupació Juvenil, devoted to getting young people into the labour market and bringing together more than 270 exhibitors, who will present a wide range of domestic and international academic courses to the attendees.
Vocational Training (VT) courses will feature at the 31st Saló de l’Ensenyament, an event which seeks to promote a training pathway which has been generating growing interest among students in recent years, given its high employability rate in comparison with other kinds of courses.
This approach will be on view with a greater presence of centres offering VT courses, as well as a new space called Ágora Formación Profesional, which will occupy 1,500 m² and host demonstrations of trades, organise talks with professionals who have studied intermediate and higher degree courses and showcase companies that participate in dual vocational training and centres that provide it. In addition, the fair will provide specific guidance by answering visitors’ questions for the first time. In this regard, the Ministry of Education of the Catalan Government will expand the information on the Vocational Training studies on the basis of the concept of the circular economy and the different productive sectors, focusing on dual VT.
According to Fair director Laura Pararols, “we know that vocational training is one of the challenges facing the education system, which is why we at the Saló de l’Ensenyament want to contribute with more available offers and our own space, displaying some of the job opportunities from a practical and experiential perspective”. Pararols added that “we also wanted to create a guidance service in this area to support students and we’re sure that it will be very well-received”.
Self-awareness and personal projection
As for the Ministry of Education, it will reinforce its steering role with the inclusion of individual activities geared towards self-awareness, personal projection and knowledge of the professional context so as to make visitors aware of the numerous possibilities of education in Catalonia and the different pathways they can follow in the future.
In addition, the Ministry will provide information on what is available for the following academic year in terms of Spanish high school courses, language courses at official schools, the Institut Obert de Catalunya (IOC), adult education centres and sports education. There will also be an area devoted to higher artistic studies, with the participation of the ESMUC, the ESDAP and the School of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Assets of Catalonia.
As far as university studies are concerned, the fair will feature the main colleges and universities in the country, which will make the most of their presence at the Fair to present their new qualifications, together with the other training courses and guidance services available.
Thus, the University Access stand of the Catalan Government will provide comprehensive information on the Catalan university system and personalised guidance on the processes required for access and admission and explain how to get the most out of the Universities Channel, which brings together all the official degree offers on a single website. The AGAUR (Agency for the Management of University and Research Grants) will have its own space with information on the grants and loans available. In addition, an flow chart will be presented to resolve queries about the systems for access to different domestic and international qualifications.
A boost for guidance
The event continues to enhance its guidance services and this year it has increased the number of dedicated staff (psychologists, pedagogues and psycho-pedagogues) from the preceding one. The services will include an individualised advice service, self-inquiry spaces, guided tours, workshops for young people and families and capsules for teachers, in addition to talks with professionals with a significant focus on the female presence on science and technology degree courses, as well as an escape room and an online and telephone consultation service.
The Multimedia Technologies Classroom will host virtual reality and digital photography demonstrations, while visitors will be able to discover their more scientific side in the Science Space by means of workshops and experiments, among others.
Master’s and postgraduate degree courses in Spain and abroad
Futura, the Salón de Masters y Postgrados (master’s and postgraduate degree exhibition), will also be held on 20th and 21st March. The 17th event of this kind will welcome more than 50 exhibitors from public and private universities, professional associations and business schools from this country and abroad, as well as talent recruitment companies. This year the exhibition will maintain its commitment to academic internationalisation, expand its range of study programmes abroad and update its guidance services by promoting direct meetings between visitors and exhibitors.
Entering the world of work
The third edition of the Saló de l’Ocupació Juvenil will take place on 19th and 20th March, organised by Fira de Barcelona and Barcelona Activa. Young people aged between 16 and 35 will be able to find out which skills are most valued by companies when it comes to recruitment, which are the sectors with the greatest demand of jobs and how best to handle a selection process. In addition, it will be attended by different entities publicising their programmes and activities to help job seekers find employment and support in the labour market and it will be possible to learn more about little-known occupations and trades.