Island connections 756 FLN 023

Page 1

www.islandconnections.eu

1984-2015

023 1,80 €

756

October 8 – October 21, 2015

Las Palmas has bottle! Page 7

Adeje

Pink Room for life

Photo: Adeje council

It’s official: The Pink Room, an initiative dedicated to helping those suffering from breast cancer, is well and truly open. Addressing the more than 120 people who attended the event, local mayor José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga said “It’s very important that we have a space here in Adeje that can be used as a reference point for those engaged in the fight against breast cancer. It is also for those who are in search of information, as early detection is vital”. He continued “this is an ideal place to create a focus point for cooperation among medical professional and therapists who are volunteering their services.” Continued on page 2

Brigitte Gypen, Mayor José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga and councillor Amada Trujillo Bencomo

Hot summer

El Hierro

Warm autumn

Page 8

Heart health

Celebrating the Geopark

Salsa and gofio...

Pages 10 & 11

Pages 34 & 35

Positive tendencies and harsh criticism

School system highs and lows Not since the 90s has the number of people opting for vocational training in the Islands ever been so high. The figures for the last school year show that 41,473 students took advantage of training opportunities available for professional preparation across a wide range of different sectors: A number that is an impressive 10,000 more than the year before. This information from the Canarian Statistical Office ISTAC has provided even more incentive for the ongoing expansion in the area of school vocational training coupled with internships within companies. As an explanation for the jump in numbers of young people taking up the offers, there are several reasons which are being quoted as being responsible. Firstly, there has been a conscious drive to make studying available for employees who were already working within a particular field without qualifications, and schools have also been promoting a framework of information days on vocational training paths to show

Photo: Paul Gooddy www.freedigitalphotos.net

Guinness World Record

The school system is undergoing a number of changes

the possibilities open to pupils. These have been positive moves at a time when the economic crisis has been hitting the number of students who want to go to university. Unfortunately, a lot of young people who wish to study at the moment are unable to do so due to lowered grants and increased fees. Many of these have shifted their focus to occupations and are thus also able to continue their studies, though now with a longerterm target.

When it comes to vocational training, the Basque Country in the north of Spain is considered a pioneer, particularly in the field of industry. The area has had this type of educational establishments in place since 1955, as well as running various schemes in cooperation with businesses. The Basque Country’s successful drive towards vocational training is also a project that adapts well to the changing requirements of the labour market, by the inclusion and

promotion of specific professions as needed. The knowledge that the region seems to have got it absolutely right was the driving force behind a recent visit to the Basque Country from the president of the Canary Island government Fernando Clavijo, Councillor for Education Soledad Monzón, and the general director of the Canarian Vocational Schools with the aim of introducing the best aspects of the system into the archipelago’s future training arrangements.

Primary schools’ slump Numbers for vocational training in schools may also be on the rise due to many opting to stay in secondary education for a longer period due to the poor labour market situation. In the opinion of Sociology lecturer José Saturnino Martínez from La Laguna University, the number of early school leavers has never been as low as it is at the moment. Continued on page 2


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