On 2nd and 3rd February 2024, the Forum “Territorios con futuro”, organised by the Efficient Habitat Cluster of Castilla y León (AEICE), took place in Ávila, Spain.

During this event, AEICE, underlined the fundamental role played by Vocational Training in promoting entrepreneurship in the rural areas and sustaining the population in activities linked to heritage, digitalisation processes and ecological transformation through the circular economy, among other topics, such as the attraction of talent to sectors like the Habitat.

The director of AEICE, Mr. Enrique Cobreros, also pointed out the key role of vocational training in activities linked to the Habitat sector, such as industrialisation and decarbonisation, which require innovative responses that “adjust to the needs of the sector and that constitute in themselves an opportunity for young people to settle in the rural world and create wealth”.

The General Director of Vocational Education of the Junta de Castilla y León, Mr. Agustín Sigüenza, during his speech at the forum, stressed the idea mentioned above by AEICE and gave the example of the Erasmus Cove HABITABLE project, a pioneer in Spain and Europe, which aims to align VET with the needs of the Habitat sector, a sector defined by the Sectoral Habitat Plan of Castilla y León.

These initiatives together with the HABITABLE project, place the region at the European forefront of Excellence in Vocational Training. The HABITABLE project, that was officially presented to the Ministry of Education of Spain in March 2023, aims to create a skills ecosystem to boost regional development, innovation, and public-private collaboration, ensuring qualified personnel for the Habitat value chain, supported by the European Quality Assurance Framework (EQAVET).