Spain: new VET qualifications boost strategic sectors

Strengthening the digital decade

Spain’s digital economy is growing faster than the EU average. The Spain 2025 Digital Decade Country Report registers a 6.8% annual increase in ICT specialists, compared to 4.2%. across the EU. To sustain this momentum, the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports has introduced programmes at EQF level 5. Nationally, these are classified as Grade E - specialisation courses and Grade C - professional certificates:

• Cloud resources and services (Grade E, 700 hours): advanced training in managing cloud infrastructures, essential for remote work and distributed teams.
• Software deployment in containers (Grade E, 630 hours): focuses on DevOps methodology, teaching students to automate software deployment using containerisation.
• Technical illustration (Grade C, 500 hours): designed for modellers and CAD designers, this qualification certifies skills in technical documentation and 3D visualisation for industrial sectors, addressing high-skill market needs.
• Machine learning: data management and training (Grade E, 800 hours): prepares learners to deploy and manage AI systems using machine learning for images, video and language processing, emphasising data preparation, bias control and regulatory compliance.
• Machine learning: installation, deployment and operation of systems (Grade E, 800 hours): covers AI system implementation in real-world environments — installation, configuration and maintenance — with applications in image and sound processing, recommendation systems and natural language processing.

Excellence and sustainability in hospitality and farming

Tourism continues to drive job creation in Spain, accounting for 12.7% of social security affiliates in February 2026. The new qualifications focus on local product excellence and reducing seasonality in rural environments to combat depopulation. They cover EQF levels 4 and 5 under the same Grade E and Grade C classification:

• Mastery in ham cutting and tasting (Grade E, EQF 4, 300 hours): raises professional standards in the service and sensory analysis of high-end cured products, enhancing the gastronomic experience.
• Mycological tourism (Grade E, EQF 5, 500 hours): trains guides and gastronomic experts in species identification, fostering sustainable economic alternatives in forest regions beyond the traditional summer season.
• Insect husbandry (Grade E, EQF 4, 600 hours): equips learners to rear, breed and manage insects throughout their full life cycle for food production, covering feeding, environmental control, welfare and transformation of insect-based products while ensuring food safety and environmental sustainability.

VET as a driver of productivity

With over 1.2 million enrolled students in 2025/26, Spain is consolidating vocational education and training (VET) as its main tool for national productivity. The modular nature of these qualifications, regulated by Organic Law 3/2022, facilitates lifelong learning and enables workers to quickly update their skills for the green and digital economy.

Read more

• European Commission (2025). Digital Decade Country Report 2025 – Spain.
• Ministry of Industry and Tourism (2026). Tourism sector affiliation statistics – Tourspain.
• Ministry of Education (2025). VET in figures: enrolment and statistics.
• Official State Gazette (2022). Organic Law 3/2022 on the Organisation and Integration of VET.