Dual Professional Training: The Connection Between Students and Enterprise

Dual Professional Training (FP Dual in Spain) allows students to combine studies and work in the company. The results of this research allow us to know the opinion (main motivations, assessments and concerns that Spanish companies observe in their adoption and implementation) of the business area. In order to know the level of implementation of the Dual FP in Spain and the challenges perceived by the companies that make up the Spanish Alliance for Dual FP, a research was carried out with quantitative technique to know the opinions of the different leaders of these projects in the companies. The sample was composed of the 235 companies that in July 2016 were part of the Alliance for Dual FP. It is not all companies that participate in a Dual FP project in Spain, but it is a sample whose characteristics are sufficiently representative to project the results in a way that reflects a general image of the phenomenon. The qualitative technique was used to know in detail the process of implementation of the Dual FP. Eight Human Resources and Training directors were interviewed from eight different sector and size companies from the Alliance for Dual FP. As a result, the Dual FP is perceived as an integrating mechanism and permanent renewal in the relationship between the educational and the business. This can contribute to the competitiveness and specialization of companies and their human capital. However, more agility and administrative flexibility and more disclosure are requested, especially between parents and students. The companies emphasize the predisposition of the educational centers and the Alliance for Dual FP as drivers of the model, as well as the role of company tutors to guarantee the results of the implementation. The socially responsible recruitment of specialized profiles is the main motivation of companies to undertake Dual FP initiatives.