Intermediate vocational education and training (VET): preregistration and enrolment

What do you need to know?

This is the application to register individuals who wish to access intermediate-level vocational and education training (VET) courses (cicles formatius de grau mig) at a publicly funded school. 

The vocational and education training (formació professional) prepare students to practise various professions and provide the training needed to acquire the specific professional skills and knowledge for each sector.

By passing the intermediate-level training course you gain a technical qualification. With this qualification you can access:

• The baccalaureate.
• An advanced-level course on the same VET pathway.
• The job market.

This educational level is available in different schools depending on the source of funding:

• Public schools, are financed by the State.
• Private schools, which are divided into two types:
  • State-subsidised private schools (concertats): these are schools that are partly financed privately and also receive subsidies from the Catalan Government.
  • Private schools (independent): that are privately financed.

• Before choosing a school, you should know what subjects are taught, whether classes are in-person or online, term dates, class schedules, facilities, etc.
• You should be aware that the schools organise open days so that families can visit them and get to know them better.

Who does it apply to?

It is aimed at individuals who wish to study an intermediate-level training course and who fulfil the following conditions:

• Holding the compulsory secondary education qualification (GESO) or its equivalent for academic purposes.
• Being 17 years of age or over (or having their 17th birthday during the year) and having passed the relevant entrance exam.

How does it work?

To access intermediate-level training courses, this procedure must be followed, which has two phases:

• Preregistration to request a place in a school. Only one application for preregistration may be submitted per person, but you can request admission to several schools, courses and sittings, which must always be in order of preference. It is advisable to list as many desirable schools as possible to increase the chances of obtaining a place in one of them and thus adjusting to the preferences of each family as much as possible.
• Enrolment is completed to confirm registration at the school where a place has been obtained.

Schools offer a limited number of places. If the number of applications received at a given school is greater than the number of places available, it may be that some of the students who have put it down as their first choice will not get a place. Below is an explanation of how places are allocated.

Allocation criteria

TWO PROCEDURES

Bear in mind that there are two different preregistration procedures: for students who are continuing their education (who have a more early calendar) and all other students (who have a similar calendar that follows).

• The following can be used for students who are continuing their education. Students who: 
  1. Are studying ESO year 4, or are enrolled in a foreign educational system at an equivalent level and are in the first year of a programme equivalent to the Spanish Baccalaureate. 70 % of available places are reserved for these students.
  2. Have gained an initial professional qualification program (PCPI) or are currently studying for basic vocational training. 20 % of available places are reserved for these students.
  3. Have taken or are taking a specific training course for access to intermediate-level training courses, have passed or are enrolled for the entrance test (this includes those that are exempt) or have other access requirements and are no more than 18 years of age. 10 % of available places are reserved for these students.
• Those falling outside these categories need to follow the procedure for all other students.

Places for continuing education students are assigned, first if possible. Subsequently, the remaining places, are assigned to all other students.

We advise those using the procedure for all other students, to consult the list of subjects offered, and check the number of applications accepted by the schools they are interested in for continuing education students. With this information, they will be able to decide and prioritize according to their interests and possibilities.

ORDER AND DRAW

Preregistration requests are ordered according to the two procedures and according to the three access routes (the studies or courses that allow access). Within each access route, they are ordered according to average marks achieved, the course or the entrance test result for each student.

In addition, a number is randomly assigned to all preregistration requests made. And will be used in the case of a tie. A number is obtained by public draw, and based on this, the applications that are tied are placed in order.

How long does it take?

​​​​​​It is important to consult the exact calendar each year. In general, for the school year that begins in September, the process begins in February to March of the same year with visits to high schools that organise open doors. Preregistration usually takes place in April. Applications are scored with the allocation criteria and if there is a tie, the draw is applied. Once places have been assigned, registration takes place at the end of July.

During the preregistration process, there are dates and deadlines associated with important actions and procedures. Depending on whether you apply using the procedure for continuing education students or the one for all other students, the time frames will be different. Please make sure that you are aware of the dates and specific procedures at all times.

What do you need to do?

Preregistration will be carried out exclusively online, therefore you will need a computer, tablet or mobile phone with an Internet connection.

What steps must you follow?

ONLINE

Step 1. Check that you have what is necessary for pre-registration

• Digital certificate or a digital identification tool (optional), such as the electronic DNI, T-CAT, Cl@ve system or idCAT Mòbil.
  • To get information about the procedure for obtaining the digital certificate, go to the relevant document, where you will find the information and all the details about how to obtain it.
  • We recommend the idCAT Mòbil as it is easy to obtain and use. It allows you to identify yourself digitally and sign the form required to process most requests from the Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia). The first time you use it, you will receive a one-time password via SMS on your mobile phone.
• Register of Student of Catalonia (RALC) student identifier code. This number is assigned (uniquely and automatically) to a student when they enroll for the first time in public and private schools in Catalonia. If the student has it but you don't know it, look it up). If the student does not already have one, one will be assigned to him or her, attaching the identification documents.
• Code for the intermediate-level training course you wish to take. You will need the code for the courses you want to include in your application. You can find this in the file for each course, within the area of study for the corresponding intermediate-level course, on the Tria educativa website.

Step 2: Go to the preregistration form

• Go to the preregistration form.
• If you have a digital certificate, you can use electronic authentication. 
• If you do not have digital identification, you can use the electronic form. 

Step 3: Track your request

• Consult the provisional list of accepted and rejected applications in the procedure for students who are continuing their education, and then the definitive list of students.
• Check the schools and courses that have provisional vacancies (for both procedures).
• Review the list with the provisional score (both procedures).
• File an appeal, if necessary.
• Review the score list after appeals (both procedures)
• Public draw to resolve applications when there is a tie in terms of points.
• View the list of names (in order) for both procedures.
• Check to see if you have a place.
• If you have obtained a place, you must formalise your enrolment (next step). If not, you have other options:
  • If your name appears on the waiting list, you must wait to see what the outcome is.
  • Apply in the second admission phase of admissions in September
  • Check out other vocational training offers. Remember that there are a large number of private schools in Barcelona where you can enroll.

Step 4: Formalise enrolment

• Contact the school where the student has been assigned a place to make an appointment to formalise enrolment.
• If you do not formalise enrolment within the established period, it will be considered that the place is forfeited.
• The school will help and advise you regarding enrolment and will also answer all your questions.

Who can submit the application?

The application can be submitted as follows:

• If the student is of legal age: the student himself or herself.
• If the student is a minor: the student’s parents or guardians, in person, or by means of a representative.

What documentation is needed?

Some documentation is not required, because inter-administrative consultations are made. But if you have to submit any documentation, it must be digitalised (by means of a scanner or a photograph).

Documentation acceptable as proof of the student's identity. 

• Identity document of the person making the application (the student of legal age, parents, guardians or de facto guardians).
  • In the case of foreign nationals: resident’s card showing the identity number for foreign nationals (NIE).
  • If you do not have a resident’s card, you can provide your passport or, in the case of a foreign national from a European Union country, the identity document from your country of origin.
  • In the case of Spanish nationals: Spanish national identity document (DNI).
• If the student is a minor:
  • Family book, birth certificate, or other documents relating to parentage, where the child’s name and date of birth and their relationship to the parents or guardians can be verified.
  • If the student is adopted or fostered, the documentation relating to the adoption or the ruling on fostering must be provided.

Documentation accrediting admission to the procedure for continuing education students

• Students who are studying year 4 of ESO.consulted.This will be checked in the Department of Education databases. If you are enrolled in a foreign educational system at a level equivalent to year 4 of ESO, or are enrolled elsewhere in Spain, you will need to attach a certificate indicating that you are taking the course prior to preregistration.
• Students who have completed an initial professional qualification programme (PCPI) or basic vocational training must attach a certificate accrediting the programme completed.
• For those who enter via the specific training course for access to the intermediate-level training courses or who have passed the entrance test, it is not necessary to present documentation, since it will already have been verified that the student is, no more than 18 years old at the time of submitting thier application.

Documentation accrediting the average marks for studies completed

The accreditation document to be submitted is one of the following certificates:

• Certificate of the average mark for the studies allowing access to the training courses.
• Certificate of the entrance exam marks.
• In the event that studies are in progress at the time when the application is submitted: certificate of the average mark for the studies which have already been definitively assessed.
• In the event that compulsory secondary education has been completed: the academic certificate showing the average mark for the course, or page 27 of the basic education school record book (if the average mark for the period appears in numerical format).
• Students from abroad must submit the document recognising their qualification. If there is no record of recognition, or a decision has not yet been reached, you can request a calculation of the average mark from the Ministry of Education. If it is not requested, or cannot be calculated within the time limit, it will be considered to be 5.
• Individuals who have passed the university entrance exam for over-25s in the current year must submit a copy of the results via the relevant website (when enrolling, the certificate showing the exam was passed must be submitted to the school).

What does it cost?

Preregistration and enrolment is free in public schools. The process in subsidised private  schools (centres concertats) is also free, although there may be fees and voluntary expenses for extracurricular activities.

Want to know more?

Body responsible for the formality

In Barcelona: the Barcelona Education Consortium (body formed by Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat de Catalunya).

Elsewhere: Department of Education- Catalan Ministry of Education (Generalitat de Catalunya- Government of Catalonia).

Further information

You can use the link to the official Barcelona Education Consortium website (only available in Catalan, but it does have Google Translate which means that the portal can be viewed in many languages).

Important linked formalities

Some examples of formalities which you may be asked to complete prior to preregistration and enrolment are set out below:

• Digital certificates
• Registration in the municipal register of residents of the city of Barcelona
• Volant de convivència and Volant de residència (City of Barcelona)