Vocational training in Spain tops 1.2 million students for the first time
1,211,062 students enrolled in vocational education and training (FP) in 2025–26, 30,092 more than the year before. Every level grew, and specialisation courses rose by almost 18%.
Vocational education and training keeps growing in Spain. According to provisional figures from the Ministry of Education, VET and Sport, 1,211,062 students enrolled in 2025–26, the highest number on record and the first time above 1.2 million.
Every level is up
That is 30,092 more students than the previous year, a 2.5% rise:
- Basic level: +2.1%.
- Intermediate level: +2.7%.
- Higher level: +2.3%.
- Specialisation courses: almost 10,000 students, up 17.7%.
More women in distance learning
Women make up 42.7% of intermediate and 45.8% of higher-level students. In distance VET, popular with people who work or want to retrain, they are a clear majority: 67.6% at intermediate and 63.2% at higher level.
Why it matters
Vocational training is one of the most direct routes into work, and for years it carried less weight in Spain than in other European countries. Steady growth brings the system closer to what employers need. The figures are provisional and were released at the end of the school year, in the summer.
