Barcelona has closed the eighth edition of MetròpolisFPLab, with nearly 1,800 vocational training students taking part in projects with companies and institutions.
The programme is backed by the Barcelona Provincial Council, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, Barcelona City Council and the BCN Vocational Training Foundation. It is designed to connect classroom learning with real workplace challenges, so students can develop ideas that may be applied in professional settings.
This year, the initiative recognised 24 finalist projects and named 12 winning teams. Those teams will receive a two-month paid scholarship to keep developing their proposals with the companies and entities that set the challenges.
The Barcelona Provincial Council said its involvement has helped extend the programme beyond the city and its metropolitan area. It now includes vocational training centres and businesses in Granollers, Mataró and Rubí, with support from those local councils.
During the 2025-2026 academic year, students worked on 12 challenges proposed by companies and institutions. The council says the programme is part of its wider effort to strengthen links between education and the productive sector, and to support more people into post-compulsory professional qualifications.
Mireia Besora, deputy for education at the Barcelona Provincial Council, said the growth of the programme shows rising interest in vocational training and stronger student motivation and skills. The council also links the initiative to Sustainable Development Goal 4, Quality Education, within the United Nations 2030 agenda. More on the council’s work can be found on the Barcelona Provincial Council website, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area site, and the Barcelona City Council website.
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