The eleven schools that make up the network of training centers of the Andalusian Employment Service (SAE) have welcomed 2,208 students in their classrooms over the past two years, a figure that doubles the 1,028 participants during the entire 2015-2018 legislature. From 2019 to the end of 2024, the number of beneficiaries almost reaches 5,000 (4,949), representing an average of 825 students per year during that period, more than tripling the annual average of 257 recorded between 2015 and 2018.
The balance was presented in the Andalusian Parliament by the Minister of Employment, Business, and Self-Employment, Rocío Blanco, who highlighted the excellence of the training provided in these centers, following «a model that meets the needs of the job market and the competitiveness requirements of companies.» In fact, as the minister pointed out, the programming that underpins the SAE schools is designed based on the demands of the productive fabric, making them «leading centers serving the economic sectors of reference».
The minister emphasized the «integral nature» of the training offer, connecting with career guidance actions and complementary activities offered to students. She also highlighted the increase in the activity of the SAE school network despite the temporary reduction caused in 2020 by the restrictions associated with the covid-19 pandemic. In fact, during the period 2019-2022, the 286 training actions organized doubled the 137 from the 2015-2018 period. In addition to this balance, there were 88 training sessions held in 2023 and 89 in 2024.
One of the main milestones of these centers is the high rate of job placement achieved by students upon completion of the courses, which, as Blanco mentioned during her speech, stands at around 80%. This achievement is partly explained by an increase in the specialization of the training offer and an increase in the percentage of study programs (36 out of the 122 training actions scheduled for this year), as well as the incorporation of new specialties. Likewise, in recent years, there has been a focus on online training and other online methodologies, with a 20% increase in the offering this year compared to 2024.
Eleven centers of excellence
The network of SAE training centers is made up of six Hospitality and Catering schools (Cádiz, Islantilla, La Laguna in Baeza, La Cónsula in Málaga, La Fonda in Benalmádena, and the CIOMijas), as well as the Marble School in Fines (Almería), the Wood School in Encinas Reales (Córdoba), the Jewelry School in Córdoba, the School of Training in Crafts, Restoration, and Rehabilitation of the Historical, Artistic, and Cultural Heritage in Albayzin (Granada), and the School of Artisans Training in Gelves.
Five of them -Marble School, Jewelry School, Albayzín School, Wood School, and CIOMijas- have the designation of National Reference Centers. Blanco emphasized that this recognition «places our Community at the forefront of future training» and celebrated that they have become «talent laboratories» that «enhance the employability of increasingly specialized professionals.» In this regard, the minister mentioned that since 2021 there has been a proposal directed to the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, and Sports for the incorporation of a sixth National Reference Center, that of the School of Artisans Training in Gelves, specialized in the areas of Glass and Ceramics.
Visit by the Commission deputies
The School of Artisans Training in Gelves received a visit from the minister and the deputies of the Andalusian Parliament who are part of the Employment, Business, and Self-Employment Commission. During a guided tour by the center’s director, Juan Manuel Anguas, the deputies were able to learn about the training received by the students, especially in the workshops of Printing, Pottery, Ceramic Decoration, and Molds. They also attended the presentation, by the faculty and the students themselves, of the contemporary ceramic exhibition ‘Fragments of Being’.
