The Positive Impact of Real-Life Work Experience for Students in Spain

“The best way of learning about anything is by doing.” – Richard Branson

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein

For young people in Spain, entering the labour market is rarely a straightforward path. Despite recent improvements, youth unemployment remains among the highest in Europe, and many graduates struggle with a mismatch between their education and the demands of employers. Real-life work experience offers a powerful solution: it not only helps students build the skills and confidence they need, but also strengthens connections between education, businesses, and society at large.

 

  1. Youth unemployment in Spain: recent figures
  • In June 2025, the number of registered unemployed youth (<30 years) decreased by 11,521 people, a drop of 5.49% compared to the previous year. Among those under 25, the decrease was 2.51% (4,296 people) (injuve.es).
  • According to DatosMacro, youth unemployment in June 2025 stood at 24.0%, compared to 24.8% in May and 25.1% in April 2025 (datosmacro.expansion.com).
  • RTVE reported that in June 2025, youth unemployment in Spain was 24%, the second highest in the EU, just behind Estonia (25.4%) (rtve.es).
  • Infobae confirmed these figures, adding that the rate was 26.3% among young women and 22.3% among young men, according to Eurostat (infobae.com).
  1. The mismatch between education and the labour market: Spanish perspectives
  • A PwC report underlined that there is a significant gap between the skills students acquire in their studies and those demanded by the labour market. Spain also suffers from high levels of overqualification, despite having more university graduates than the EU average (pwc.es).
  • El País reported that in March 2025, 76% of companies highlighted a major skills gap between what graduates bring and what is needed—at vocational education level this figure was 74% (elpais.com).
  • Economist Vicente Castelló Roselló noted that in 2024 Spain had the highest overqualification rate in Europe (34.5%), far above the EU average of 21.3% (cincodias.elpais.com).
  • Cadena SER stressed that Spain leads the EU in overqualification (35.9%), with women and young people in technical fields most affected (cadenaser.com).
  1. Why real-life work experience matters: a win-win-win situation

Stakeholder

Benefits of real-life work experience

Students

Stronger job prospects, confidence, employability skills

Employers

Access to motivated, work-ready young talent

Educational institutions

More relevant curricula, better career guidance

Economy & society

Lower youth unemployment, greater productivity, stronger ties between education and the labour market

  1. The role of Fundacíon Proyectos Educativos Andalucía

The Fundacíon Proyectos Educativos Andalucía Foundation is actively addressing this challenge by offering Spanish students real-life work experiences through collaboration with international (non-Spanish) students.

By working together on practical projects, students:

  • Learn to operate in diverse and multicultural environments.
  • Develop interpersonal and professional skills aligned with labour market demands.
  • Gain exposure to new perspectives and international best practices.
  • Improve English language skills

This model directly helps to close the gap between education and the labour market. It prepares students not only for national opportunities but also for the increasingly globalised world of work.

At present, the Foundation’s main focus is concentrated in the Málaga, Granada, and Marbella area, where it builds strong partnerships with schools, businesses, and communities to create opportunities that have a lasting positive impact.

  1. An example of a project organised in collaboration with the foundation

A business owner was in the process of introducing a new service to the Dutch market. The service is designed to support individuals preparing to take the step of building a new life in Spain. With the core branding of her business already established, she invited a group of students to contribute to the further development of her launch strategy.

Their assignment was to adapt the concept brochure to the existing brand style, align the design of the online platform accordingly, and create social media content consistent with the brand identity. The students were given ten days to complete this challenge.

Both Spanish and Dutch students collaborated on the project. They conducted research, developed strategic plans, and produced content aimed at strengthening the entrepreneur’s online presence and supporting the successful introduction of her new platform.

Following the completion and delivery of the project, the entrepreneur expressed her satisfaction with the outcomes. She subsequently asked the Spanish students whether they would be interested in continuing to assist her during the launch phase and initial implementation of the new service.

We’d love to hear from you.
What are your thoughts on bridging the gap between education and the labour market?
Do you have examples of best practices – in Spain or elsewhere – that could inspire change?

Share your ideas, experiences, and solutions with us. Together, we can create opportunities that transform not only CVs, but lives.

Joost Jong

Scroll to Top