Madrid is the first region in Spain where a majority of vocational education students attend private institutions. A report by Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) puts the private share of Formación Profesional (FP) students in Madrid at 50.59%. The union says more than 60,000 young people could not secure a public place for the 2024 to 2025 academic year, pointing to a widening gap in access to affordable vocational training.
Demand for FP has risen sharply. Between the 2018 to 2019 and 2024 to 2025 academic years, total enrollment in Madrid grew by more than 85%, adding nearly 83,000 students. Public FP enrollment increased by 58%, while private enrollment climbed by 122%. The public share so fell below half of total enrollment, information from the union’s figures. These trends have fueled debate over a system governed by Spain’s national education structure and administered by autonomous communities, including the Community of Madrid.
CCOO argues that the regional government, led by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has deliberately limited the growth of the public FP network. That is the union’s political assessment of regional policy. It says the resulting access gap makes vocational education increasingly dependent on students’ income and location. The report names Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy and Dosimetry, Dental Hygiene, Web Application Development, Early Childhood Education, and Social Integration among courses more readily available through private providers than in public centers.
Cost remains a major barrier for many families. CCOO estimates that higher-level courses at private FP centers in Madrid cost between €3,000 and €6,000 a year, with specialized programs reaching €16,000. The union also reports that average household spending on higher-level FP rose from €1,069 in 2016 to €2,085 in 2023. Combined with limited public options, those costs can put vocational training further out of reach for lower-income households.
The growth of online FP has accelerated the shift toward private provision, according to the report. The number of students enrolled in distance learning in Madrid rose by 492% over the period studied. Private online FP grew more than six times faster than its public counterpart, particularly at higher levels. The number of private centers offering online higher-level FP nearly quadrupled, from 28 to 102. CCOO warns that this rapid expansion raises questions about consistent oversight and quality. The report also points to private providers offering bundled qualifications or combined university programs, alongside differences in graduation rates between public and private online centers.
Madrid’s business field also makes the dual FP model harder to implement. It combines classroom learning with company placements. CCOO says 94.6% of the region’s roughly half a million businesses are sole proprietorships or microenterprises, a structure that can complicate high-quality, supervised placements, particularly for public centers. The union warns that without effective oversight, placements could become a source of low-cost labor or replace regular jobs.
Gender disparities persist in vocational training. In 2023 to 2024, 8,840 students in Madrid were enrolled in Dual FP, and women accounted for 4.41%, according to the report. It also says 3.8% of female students felt they had received sufficient information about FP options, compared with 14.2% of male students. Only 16.27% of women enrolled in Madrid’s FP programs chose STEM fields, which are often associated with stronger pay and employment prospects.
CCOO is calling for structural measures to reverse the privatization trend. Its proposals include a multi-year plan to eliminate waiting lists for public FP places, backed by stable funding and a focus on territorial and social equity. The union also seeks a national structure for online FP, with consistent quality standards and transparent evaluation, supported by supervision and stronger inspection. For the dual model, it calls for safeguards against job substitution and recognition of tutors’ time, alongside protections for student rights and effective supervision in companies.
Across Spain, vocational education has shifted from a secondary choice to a preferred route for many young people, partly because of its employment prospects. According to the CCOO report, 68.6% of the population views FP positively, rising to 74% among people who have completed it. The union’s figures put Madrid’s rapid enrollment growth alongside a marked expansion of private provision and concerns about affordability and access. By contrast, the report says the Canary Islands and Castilla-La Mancha have much lower rates of private FP enrollment, reflecting regional differences in how vocational education is provided.
