Second vice president and Acting Minister of Labor Yolanda Díaz announced that a proposal will be presented to the European Commission this Thursday. The legislative idea aims to make vocational training a citizen’s subjective right. In practical terms, individuals could request training and arrange it through their employer, ensuring part of the working day is dedicated to study and skill enhancement. Díaz shared this plan on Thursday during a Barcelona conference attended by other European Union Labor Ministers under Spain’s presidency of the European Council.
“We want to turn education into a right. We must move away from the approaches that shape our country and other European states”, Díaz said. She added that training is not limited to youth or those facing high unemployment; it concerns workers at every stage who seek to improve their skills and career prospects.
Today, employees contribute part of their salary into a fund that companies can use to subsidize training programs. According to data from the State Foundation for Employment Training (Fundae), this year 1.047 million euros can be allocated by companies to train their staff. A key challenge is that much of this credit remains unused within the year, and many employees attend training outside regular hours, using personal time to boost productivity. The result is training that stretches beyond the workday and at a cost to individual schedules.
“Guarantee Factor”
The current Labor Minister aims to safeguard access to education as a subjective right, comparable to the right of unemployed individuals to seek guidance from public employment services. The government intends that active workers should have the same opportunity to pursue training through their employers. Díaz, alongside Belgian and Swedish Labor Ministers, defended a policy framework built around a formal guarantee factor to ensure meaningful access to training.
An upcoming consensus among EU states is needed to set conditions for training inside and outside the working day. The debate covers whether training should be provided as authorizations or licenses and whether there should be economic compensation or other forms of support. The plan also calls for simplifying and strengthening national systems for accrediting, certifying, validating, and recognizing skills acquired across member states, and for clarifying how collective agreements can shape these rules for workers and employers.
Spain faces two notable gaps. On one hand, there are many highly qualified individuals who remain on the margins of the labor market. On the other hand, there is a push to compete with high skilled workers rather than relying on lower-cost labor. The discussion centers on ensuring that training raises skill levels while maintaining competitive Spain’s workforce within the broader European market. The objective is to create a robust pathway that ties training closely to real jobs, measured outcomes, and fair access for all workers across industries. The emphasis is on turning learning into an ongoing component of professional life rather than a one-off activity, ensuring that both current and future workers can adapt to evolving labor demands. This approach would align with broader EU goals for mobility, standardization of credentials, and stronger labor market resilience across member states. [citation: EU policy briefing, attribution to official statements from participating ministers]