The event was opened by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and featured the prominent presence of the Minister of Labor, Migration and Social Security, Magdalena Valerio, and the Minister of Education and Vocational Training, Isabel Celaá, as well as representatives of employers, unions and educational centers who discussed the current situation of Vocational Training, its successes and strengths and what measures should be taken to guide it towards an even better future.
Pascual Dedios-Pleite, director of Siemens' Digital Factory and president of Siemens Industry Software, participated in the round table "Business and Vocational Training," along with representatives from CEOE, CEPYME, Inditex, Amazon, and Festo. He spoke about the role of industry in Vocational Training, the relationship that should exist with students, and how training must change to adapt to the new needs of Industry 4.0.
The Siemens executive noted that “the company has been fostering this development for 125 years with a global apprenticeship program that has trained 11,500 vocational students worldwide.” Currently, Siemens offers the international Apprentice@Siemens program, which operates in more than 20 countries, including Spain. Based in Berlin, the three-and-a-half-year program includes dual training culminating in a mentoring program at Siemens offices in the student's home country. Since its inception, 25 Spanish students have participated, most of whom now work at Siemens.
In Spain, Siemens offers three main training programs: the Business Administration Program, taught at FEDA (Dual German Business Training); the Electronics and Electrical Engineering Program, developed through an agreement with the Government of Catalonia; and the Mechatronics Program, now offered by the German Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the Virgen de la Paloma and Salesianos de Atocha secondary schools. This last program also culminates in a year of training at FEDA.
Siemens also has several initiatives to foster young talent, such as the 11th Automation and Digitalization Prototype Competition for Industry 4.0 and its sponsorship of Spainskills, the National Vocational Training Olympics, organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Autonomous Communities.
