Safor Salut Promotes Innovative Projects in Dual Vocational Education and Training in Health in La Safor-Marina

Safor Salut 5 March, 2024

The “Safor Salut” cooperation program, a joint initiative between Campus Gandia of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), FISABIO–Gandia Health Department, FISABIO-HACLE La Pedrera and the Safor Federation of Business Associations (FAES), has organized a meeting of a technical experts at Campus Gandia focusing on dual vocational education and training (VET) in health.

The health family of the VET system boasts the best job-placement results at both the Intermediate and Higher Levels according to the CaixaBank Dualiza and Fundació BCN FP report, and these VET programs are available in both La Marina and La Safor counties, principally in the IES TIRANT LO BLANC (Gandia), IES LA MAR (Xàbia) centers, as well as the Caregiving for Dependent People program, which is taught at IES VELES E VENTS (Gandia – Grau i platja), IES GREGORI MAIANS (Oliva), IES JOSEP IBORRA (Benissa), IES DE PEDREGUER (Pedreguer). The Higher Technician in Dental Prosthesis program taught at the IES DE PEDREGUER is particularly noteworthy.

However, according to the aforementioned report, almost 9 out of 10 organizations in the healthcare sector and 8 out of 10 in the socio-health sector have difficulties filling certain positions, the report states, with nursing being the hardest to fill for 80% of the organizations.

Furthermore, half of the organizations in the social and health sector consulted for the report indicate that they have difficulties filling jobs for auxiliary caregiving for dependent people. Likewise, 2 out of 10 organizations consider it difficult to fill vacancies for auxiliary nursing care technicians. The main reasons behind the difficulty of organizations to fill certain positions is twofold: they cannot find qualified candidates and the work conditions offered are unappealing to the applicants.

In this context, at Safor Salut we are analyzing the dimension of the problem and we want to design plans to launch an innovative dual vocational education and training project in health and healthcare in the Safor/Marina counties, following in the footsteps of other successful and similar initiatives.

The meeting of technical experts addressed the possibility of establishing a transverse project involving the healthcare, university, business and social sectors (municipalities and associations), with the involvement of the public administration responsible for health and education, based on the Dual Vocational Education and Training model. The project must include the proper configuration of a VET cycle, indicating the professional modules that will be carried out either in the school or the company/health center, or entirely in the latter.

In addition, FAES proposed a project idea that can be found on the Safor Salut website: Innovative dual vocational education and training project in healthcare-health in La Safor.

At Safor Salut there is a conviction that greater interaction between technical and research personnel, health personnel and the productive sector will benefit the competitiveness of the innovation ecosystem of the Valencian Community, as well as the development of joint research and innovation projects, as is the case of dual this vocational education and training project.

Representatives from Fisabio, Campus Gandia (UPV), FAES, Hospital de Gandia and La Pedrera, Fresdental, FP prospection from the Conselleria, Ajuntament de Gandia, Grupo El Castillo, AERTE, Gandia historic commercial center, Parkinson association of Gandia Safor, Vitalia, Secondary Schools (IES Tirant Lo Blanc-Gandia, Veles e vents-Gandia, La Mar-Xàbia) and AriHub participated actively in this meeting.

Safor Salut has obtained funding from the Complementary Actions Program to promote and strengthen innovation from the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI), aimed at promoting the development of healthcare innovation projects. The program receives funding support from IVACE+i and the European Union through the ERDF.

Safor Salut Team