- 2018Implementation
- 2019Implementation
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Implementation
- 2023Implementation
- 2024Implementation
Description
During the fourth quarter of 2018, the National Institute of Qualifications (INCUAL) carried out a review of the entire national catalogue of occupational standards. It aimed to set up a 2019 work plan that would accommodate the need for updating occupational standards and (where appropriate) designing new ones which could have greater significance or impact on employment.
The INCUAL is responsible for defining, updating and adapting the Spanish national catalogue of occupational standards (Catálogo Nacional de Cualificaciones Profesionales, CNCP) to the evolution of the labour market. INCUAL is the technical body of the General Council of Vocational Training, (Consejo General de Formación Profesional, CGFP), the organisation that advises the government on VET issues.
The resulting INCUAL work plan for 2019 addressed 192 actions, which varied from designing new occupational standards to redefining learning outcomes.
From March 2018 to January 2019, 19 CVET occupational standards were updated and four new ones developed. 68 professional certificate programmes (repertoire of professional certificates) were submitted to the General Council for Vocational Training. Sustained interaction with companies ensured responsiveness to labour market needs. A total of 13 VET diplomas (six in basic VET, two intermediate and five in higher VET levels) were also updated and 15 new diplomas designed, also based on cooperation between education...
During the fourth quarter of 2018, the National Institute of Qualifications (INCUAL) carried out a review of the entire national catalogue of occupational standards. It aimed to set up a 2019 work plan that would accommodate the need for updating occupational standards and (where appropriate) designing new ones which could have greater significance or impact on employment.
The INCUAL is responsible for defining, updating and adapting the Spanish national catalogue of occupational standards (Catálogo Nacional de Cualificaciones Profesionales, CNCP) to the evolution of the labour market. INCUAL is the technical body of the General Council of Vocational Training, (Consejo General de Formación Profesional, CGFP), the organisation that advises the government on VET issues.
The resulting INCUAL work plan for 2019 addressed 192 actions, which varied from designing new occupational standards to redefining learning outcomes.
From March 2018 to January 2019, 19 CVET occupational standards were updated and four new ones developed. 68 professional certificate programmes (repertoire of professional certificates) were submitted to the General Council for Vocational Training. Sustained interaction with companies ensured responsiveness to labour market needs. A total of 13 VET diplomas (six in basic VET, two intermediate and five in higher VET levels) were also updated and 15 new diplomas designed, also based on cooperation between education institutions and sectors.
The review process continued, with a special focus on emerging sectors, such as Industry 4.0, the circular economy, or 5G communication networks. Six new occupational standards were added to the CNCP, eight old ones were removed, and 36 were updated, resulting in a total of 664 occupational standards available in 2019. Many others are in the pipeline.
As envisaged in previous legislation, a new VET provision, the so-called specialisation courses (cursos de especialización), has been developed. These are short courses targeting intermediate and higher VET graduates to broaden occupation-specific skills and acquire digital skills in line with the emerging needs of the economy. New ones are being approved, such as digitisation of industrial maintenance, cybersecurity in operating technology environments, cybersecurity in information technology environments, and smart manufacturing.
A new basic VET diploma and some others at the higher VET level were published in 2019, and new ones are expected to see the light in the coming years.
The Government approved a new regulation for the Observatory for the National Qualifications Institute at the end of 2019. This regulation aims to allow active and rapid identification of necessary changes in qualifications, increasing the effectiveness of this institute.
With the formation of a new government at the beginning of 2020, there was a change in governance that affected vocational training for employment. All training within the national system of qualifications, be it initial VET or training specifically aimed at unemployed and employed workers (when linked to professional certificates), becomes the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.
Progress in revising and updating the qualifications included in the national catalogue of occupational standards continued and new occupational standards, qualifications and specialisation courses have been developed. Specifically, throughout 2020, 21 regulatory projects (Ministerial Order or Royal Decree) have been published in the official gazette, updating 136 occupational standards (20 new, 45 updated and 71 partially modified). Also:
- a new VET qualification has been published (technician in wood processing and transformation); the curriculum for the qualification of intermediate level VET for technician in guiding in the natural environment and leisure time (approved in Royal Decree 402/2020, of 25 February).
- four new specialisation courses for higher VET level graduates have been developed: cybersecurity in the operating technology environment; cybersecurity in the information technology environment; digitalisation of industrial maintenance and intelligent manufacturing. Another specialisation course has been approved for intermediate VET level in artisan bakery and pastry making;
- the units of competences related to (foreign) language skills which are included in the occupational standards of the national catalogue of qualifications (as well as their respective training modules) have been modified/adjusted to the common levels established in the Common European framework of reference for languages.
Throughout 2021, 14 new occupational standards were developed and published, 76 were updated, 13 modified, and three deleted, affecting 17 sectoral branches. At the end of 2021, the national catalogue comprised 739 occupational standards.
In addition to these occupational standards, which are the core elements for the design of VET qualifications, one new intermediate level VET diploma was approved in the reporting period, and the curricula for two other higher VET level diplomas were set. Eight new specialisation courses were published in 2021.
In 2022, the revision of the national catalogue continued: 78 new standards were approved and 47 updated/modified, making a total of 125 'new' standards, while nine were removed. Most of the new ones are linked to the 11 strategic sectors identified in the plan for the modernisation of VET. This plan, led by the education ministry, aims to ensure that occupational standards and programmes remain relevant to the needs of the different sectors and to help individuals enter and stay employable in the labour market.
The process of reviewing and modernising formal VET qualification programmes and new occupational standards paid special attention to digital and green skills, especially in the new specialisation courses available to VET graduates to complement the knowledge and skills acquired.
The new or updated occupational standards included in the catalogue regarding digitalisation and innovation were: installation and maintenance of connected devices and systems, IoT; energy audit; digitalisation applied to the professional environment; data management and training in AI systems based on machine learning; management of the installation, deployment and operation of Artificial Intelligence systems based on machine learning; collaborative work methodology for modelling and information management of construction projects (BIM); implementation and management of industrial maintenance digitisation projects; development and management of smart manufacturing projects in industry; maintenance of hybrid and electric vehicles; planning and maintenance control of electrical, electronic and computer systems of railway rolling stock; maintenance and safety supervision in hybrid and electric vehicle systems.
Along with these new standards, during 2022, a list of intermediate (Installation of structures and aeronautical systems; Processing and processing of wood) and higher level (aeromechanical maintenance of aircraft with turbine engine, additive manufacturing) VET diplomas, specialisation courses (installation and maintenance of Internet-connected systems (IoT); Composite materials in the aerospace industry; maintenance and safety in hybrid and electric vehicle systems; remotely piloted aircraft-drones; collaborative robotics energy audit,) and professional certificates (service of delivery and home collection; physical activities and sports) have been published.
As stated in Spain's NIP, the network of centres of excellence in innovation and the network of national reference centres have been assigned to review the occupational standards coordinated by the education ministry. The aim is to promote innovation and quality in order to improve the position of Spanish companies in global value chains, achieve green development, and promote talent, specifically in the sectors selected for their relevance to the growth of the Spanish economy. The eleven emerging sectors are: new advanced information technology; automated machine tools and robotics; aeronautical equipment; modern railway transport equipment; energy-based vehicles and new equipment; agricultural machinery; new materials; biopharmaceuticals and advanced medical products; consumer chain: manufacturers and distributors; hospitality and tourism; personal care services.
The Organic Act 3/2022 established the national catalogue of professional skills as one of the key elements in transforming the Spanish VET system. The law modified the former Spanish national catalogue of occupational standards and created the new national catalogue of professional skills (Catálogo Nacional de Estándares de Competencias Profesionales) to align its terminology with that used in other European Union countries. The modified national catalogue adapts to the new single VET system, which incorporates new"micro-training" (grades A and B) and thus requires smaller references for occupational standards, continuing to be organised by professional branches and three levels related to professional skills complexity. The new organisation aims to favour the transparency of occupational standards in international and, particularly, European contexts.
Royal Decree 659/2023, of July 18, which developed the organisation of the Spanish VET System, was published. It established that all new VET programmes and their design shall always be linked to the new national catalogue of professional skills, which will modify some aspects of the existing national catalogue. However, the organisation of the former Spanish national catalogue of occupational standards still remained in force pending the regulatory development of the provisions in the Organic Act 3/2022 for the national catalogue of professional skills.
The systematic review of the national catalogue of occupational standards continued throughout 2023 and was made in collaboration with stakeholders and companies involved in the process (technological and construction hubs, collaboration of leading companies from other professional sectors and social partners). The result of the revision and updating of occupational standards in 2023 was as follows: 30 new occupational standards were developed, 22 were updated, 6 were modified, and 10 of them were deleted. These 58 modifications to the national catalogue were introduced through the publication of 4 regulatory projects (Royal Decrees) in the Official State Gazette. The productive sectors in which these actions took place were: hospitality and tourism, personal image, installation and maintenance, safety and environment, physical activities and sports, agricultural, personal image, commerce and marketing, mechanical manufacturing, information technology and communications, sociocultural and community services, transportation and vehicle maintenance, arts and crafts, building and civil engineering, electricity and electronics, energy and water and chemistry.
In addition to these actions, 13 Royal Decrees were published throughout 2023 to create or update new VET diplomas, professional certificates or specialisation courses. In this process, the 11 emerging sectors identified by the education ministry, especially the digital and green sectoral branches, continued to receive special attention.
The Spanish national catalogue of occupational standards organisation remained in force pending the regulatory development of Organic Law 3/2022.
The systematic review of the national catalogue of occupational standards continued, ensuring that the Spanish VET system remained flexible, future-oriented, and closely tied to the evolving needs of the economy, positioning both students and workers for long-term success.
In 2024, 325 modifications to the national catalogue of occupational standards were made, which were published in 12 regulatory projects (Royal Decrees and Ministerial Orders): nine new occupational standards, 191 updated, 125 modified, and two deleted. At the end of 2024, the national catalogue comprised 783 occupational standards and 26 sector branches.
The design of VET diplomas continued by publishing 14 Royal Decrees to create and update the training provision and curricula, encompassing eight specialisation courses, two diplomas and six professional certificates. Besides these, four VET diplomas were modified.
The commitment to digitalisation, sustainability and emerging technologies, and the 11 emerging sectors identified by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, was materialised in this continuous process of reviewing and updating occupational standards and VET curricula.
By the end of 2024, VET provision included 588 professional certificates, 191 VET diploma programmes (34 Basic VET programmes, 65 Intermediate VET programmes, 92 Higher VET programmes) and 26 Specialisation courses.
Since 2020, more than 30 new VET diploma programmes have been added to the VET offer by updating existing occupational standards and creating some new ones linked to emerging sectors.
In the last five years, the education ministry has created 215 new occupational standards, bringing the total number of qualifications in the catalogue to 783. In addition, it has designed 43 new diplomas, specialisation courses and professional certificates.
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports
- Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (until 2023)
- National Institute of Qualifications (INCUAL)
Target groups
Learners
- Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
- Young people (15-29 years old)
- Unemployed and jobseekers
- Persons in employment, including those at risk of unemployment
Entities providing VET
- VET providers (all kinds)
Thematic categories
Governance of VET and lifelong learning
This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.
This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.
The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.
This thematic sub-category refers both to formal mechanisms of stakeholder engagement in VET governance and to informal cooperation among stakeholders, which motivate shared responsibility for quality VET. Formal engagement is usually based on legally established institutional procedures that clearly define the role and responsibilities for relevant stakeholders in designing, implementing and improving VET. It also refers to establishing and increasing the degree of autonomy of VET providers for agile and flexible VET provision.
In terms of informal cooperation, the sub-category covers targeted actions by different stakeholders to promote or implement VET. This cooperation often leads to creating sustainable partnerships and making commitments for targeted actions, in line with the national context and regulation, e.g. national alliances for apprenticeships, pacts for youth or partnerships between schools and employers. It can also include initiatives and projects run by the social partners or sectoral organisations or networks of voluntary experts and executives, retired or on sabbatical, to support their peers in the fields of VET and apprenticeships, as part of the EAfA.
Modernising VET offer and delivery
This thematic category looks at what and how individuals learn, how learning content and learning outcomes in initial and continuing VET are defined, adapted and updated. First and foremost, it examines how VET standards, curricula, programmes and training courses are updated and modernised or new ones created. Updated and renewed VET content ensures that learners acquire a balanced mix of competences that address modern demands, and are more closely aligned with the realities of the labour market, including key competences, digital competences and skills for green transition and sustainability, both sector-specific and across sectors. Using learning outcomes as a basis is important to facilitate this modernisation, including modularisation of VET programmes. Updating and developing teaching and learning materials to support the above is also part of the category.
The thematic category continues to focus on strengthening high-quality and inclusive apprenticeships and work-based learning in real-life work environments and in line with the European framework for quality and effective apprenticeships. It looks at expanding apprenticeship to continuing vocational training and at developing VET programmes at EQF levels 5-8 for better permeability and lifelong learning and to support the need for higher vocational skills.
This thematic category also focuses on VET delivery through a mix of open, digital and participative learning environments, including workplaces conducive to learning, which are flexible, more adaptable to the ways individuals learn, and provide more access and outreach to various groups of learners, diversifying modes of learning and exploiting the potential of digital learning solutions and blended learning to complement face-to-face learning.
Centres of vocational excellence that connect VET to innovation and skill ecosystems and facilitate stronger cooperation with business and research also fall into this category.
VET standards and curricula define the content and outcomes of learning, most often at national or sectoral levels. VET programmes are based on standards and curricula and refer to specific vocations/occupations. They all need to be regularly reviewed, updated and aligned with the needs of the labour market and society. They need to include a balanced mix of vocational and technical skills corresponding to economic cycles, evolving jobs and working methods, and key competences, providing for resilience, lifelong learning, employability, social inclusion, active citizenship, sustainable awareness and personal development (Council of the European Union, 2020). The thematic sub-category also refers to establishing new VET programmes, reducing their number or discontinuing some. It also includes design of CVET programmes and training courses to adapt to labour market, sectoral or individual up- and re-skilling needs.
The learning-outcomes-based approaches focus on what a learner is expected to know, to be able to do and understand at the end of a learning process (Cedefop, 2016). Learning outcomes can be defined at the system level as in national qualification frameworks (NQFs), most of which are currently based on learning outcomes. Learning outcomes can be defined in qualification standards, curricula, learning programmes and assessment, although the last one is still uncommon. This thematic sub-category refers to the use of learning outcomes in these contexts and to development and use of modules or units of learning outcomes in VET curricula and programmes.
Green transition and environmental sustainability have a significant place in the EU agenda (Green Deal), including the agenda for VET. This thematic sub-category refers to identifying in cooperation with industry, incorporating into VET curricula and programmes and teaching the skills related and needed for the green transition, including sector- and occupation-specific skills and those across sectors. It covers measures aimed at ‘greening’ VET programmes, including awareness and knowledge about climate change, green technologies and innovation, energy efficiency, circular economy and environmental sustainability. It also includes the use of appropriate learning methods that develop such awareness.
This thematic sub-category refers to updating VET curricula and programmes to incorporate skills related and needed for the digital transition, including sector- and occupation-specific ones identified in cooperation with stakeholders.
Transparency and portability of VET skills and qualifications
European principles and tools, such as EQF, ESCO, ECTS, Europass and ECVET, provide a strong basis for transparency and portability of national and sectoral qualifications across Europe, including the issuing of digital diplomas and certificates.
This thematic category looks at how individuals are supported in transferring, accumulating, and validating skills and competences acquired in formal, non-formal and informal settings – including learning on the job – and in having their learning recognised towards a qualification at any point of their lives. This is only possible if qualifications are transparent and comparable and are part of comprehensive national qualifications frameworks. Availability of qualifications smaller than full and acquirable in shorter periods of time is necessary; some countries have recently worked on developing partial qualifications, microcredentials, etc.
This thematic sub-category refers to the development and implementation of qualifications that are smaller than full qualifications (alternative credentials) or are acquired in a shorter learning experience. It includes microcredentials, partial qualifications, units of learning outcomes (ECVET principle), digital badges, etc. These are owned by learners and can be combined or not to get a full qualification.
European priorities in VET
VET Recommendation
- VET agile in adapting to labour market challenges
- Flexibility and progression opportunities at the core of VET
- VET as a driver for innovation and growth preparing for digital and green transitions and occupations in high demand
- VET as an attractive choice based on modern and digitalised provision of training and skills
Osnabrück Declaration
- Establishing a new lifelong learning culture - relevance of continuing VET and digitalisation
- Sustainability - a green link in VET
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Review of the national catalogue of occupational standards: Spain. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/28687