The IES Biel Martí promotes a technological laboratory in Menorca to strengthen IT vocational training

PalmaMenorca has launched a new training proposal to strengthen computer science studies and reduce the gap between classrooms and the business world. IES Biel Martí, a center that teaches the Intermediate Vocational Training cycle in Microcomputer Systems and Networks (SMX), has promoted an innovation space at the Centre Bit de Menorca that aims to respond to the new requirements of Vocational Training and improve students' practical experience.

The project arises in a context marked by the application of the new dual Vocational Training model, which increases the weight of company training: 100 hours in the first year and 400 in the second. In Menorca, however, the reduced size of the technology sector makes it difficult to find enough places for all students to complete these internships, especially when several groups coincide in the same period of the academic year.

Given this limitation, the center has promoted the MenFEMPO-Lab program, which transforms the Centre Bit space into a collaborative laboratory where students and companies work together on applied activities. The objective is to simulate real professional environments and develop technical skills in areas such as networks, equipment repair, programming, IT support, and emerging technologies.

Business participation

The project actively incorporates companies from the island's ICT sector, which assume a training role and participate in the delivery of workshops. This involvement allows direct experience from the world of work to be transferred to the classroom and strengthens students' preparation for their future professional integration.

In this first edition, the companies ICONO, COTOTO, MÓVILES SAT, INFOTELECOM, SILME, and BINARY are participating, in addition to the Chamber of Commerce of Menorca, who will be in charge of conducting specialized practical sessions. The program remains open to the incorporation of new companies interested in joining the initiative.

The workshops will take place between June 1st and 19th and will total 100 hours of intensive training. The content includes everything from the installation of networks and fiber optics to device repair, application programming, an introduction to artificial intelligence, and the promotion of technological entrepreneurship. According to the center, the initiative aims not only to solve a logistical problem with internships but also to strengthen the link between education and the productive fabric, and to open new professional opportunities for the island's young people in the digital sector.