This is what the future CIFP Politécnico will look like: 2,000 students, two separate spaces, and 45 training cycles.

PalmThe building that was formerly the Palma Polytechnic High School will now house an Integrated Vocational Training Center (CIFP) and a Vocational Training Innovation Center. All of this will have a capacity for 2,000 students. The Regional Minister of Education and Universities, Antoni Vera, and the Director General of Vocational Training and Educational Planning, Isabel Salas, presented the preliminary project this Friday. The Polytechnic, Vera noted, will now house "two distinct buildings and two different structures." One of them will house a CIFP (Integrated Vocational Training Center) and the other, a vocational training innovation center. Together, they will have the capacity to train approximately 2,000 students, who will be able to complete 45 training cycles—basic, intermediate, and advanced—across 10 different professional areas.

The comprehensive renovation of the Polytechnic will cost around 40 million euros, and it is estimated that it will be operational starting in the 2029-2030 academic year, given that the administrative procedures for the tender and the actual execution of the works are estimated to take approximately five years. "I don't want to leave my fingers covered," Vera said, without specifying an exact timeframe.

According to the minister, the new Vocational Training facility is expected to have approximately 19,000 m² and will require an investment of approximately €40 million. Regarding the Innovation Center, which will be accessed through the current main entrance of the Polytechnic, the works program foresees a surface area of approximately 3,000 square meters and eight laboratories, a 400-square-meter multipurpose classroom, a space for entrepreneurs, as well as two specialized training classrooms, a special training room, and a special room.

As for the Integrated Vocational Training Center, the works program foresees a surface area of approximately 16,000 square meters and a location in the part of the building between Menorca Street and Simó Ballester Street. The building will house all the necessary facilities to provide courses for 10 vocational families and multipurpose classrooms, workshops, and administrative areas. The creation of an underground parking area with capacity for around 120 vehicles is also planned, which will help ease congestion in Palma's city center.

The new Polytechnic CIFP "will become a benchmark for Vocational Training in the Balearic Islands," Vera said. The center will host 45 basic, intermediate, and advanced vocational training courses, which will be taught in the morning and afternoon, in addition to three specialization courses. The offering will be complemented by professional certificates for the vocational families that will be taught.

Currently, the Polytechnic IES offers secondary and high school education, as well as vocational training courses in the areas of Building and Civil Works, Electricity and Electronics, Mechanical Manufacturing, Wood, Furniture, and Cork, IT and Communications, and Installation and Maintenance. With the transformation into a CIFP (Public Vocational Training Programme), the program will expand to include the Administration and Management, Commerce and Marketing, Safety and Environment, and Sociocultural and Community Services families, in addition to completing the existing families.

The new training program will include 10 programs, including two specialization courses and new cycles from the aforementioned families. Specifically, basic degrees, two intermediate degrees, and two advanced degrees will be incorporated, and cycles currently taught at the Guillem Sagrera Secondary School, the Ramon Llull Secondary School, and the Emili Darder Secondary School will be centralized. This initiative, Vera argued, will allow for a reorganization of the educational offering in Palma, as the three aforementioned institutes will be remodeled to focus exclusively on Compulsory Secondary Education and Baccalaureate, thus freeing up some 800 vocational training places that will be transferred to the new CIFP (Center for Vocational Training).

Immersive Experiences

The Vocational Training Innovation Center "will become a point of reference for students, educational centers, and companies." It will be dedicated to developing collaborative projects with the industrial sector and other entities through the use of advanced technology and innovative methodologies. The center will be equipped with specialized spaces and eight laboratories, each with a surface area of 120 m2, are planned to promote active and sensorial learning. The laboratories will be a resource adapted to all professional families.

The laboratories' areas of specialization will be:

• Agricultural Biotechnology
• Health and Sports Sciences
• Industrial transformation and circular economy
• Gastronomic innovation and sustainable food
• Immersive experiences
• Automation and robotics
• Energy transition
• Product design and development

For example, the Immersive Experiences Lab will be adapted to the Healthcare, Hospitality and Tourism, Personal Image, Sociocultural Services, and IT professional areas. This space will allow for the recreation of simulated environments that promote practical and experiential learning.

• In the Healthcare area, simulations of hospital environments with medical odors, clinical sounds, and real-life emergency or first aid situations can be developed.
• In the Hospitality and Tourism sector, immersive tastings, cultural settings, and olfactory and tactile experiences will be offered to enhance customer service training.
• In IT, work with virtual and adaptive reality technologies will be facilitated, boosting creativity and innovation in the development of digital solutions.

The center will also feature a 400 m² multipurpose classroom, equipped with technology—interactive screens, videoconferencing systems, and digital devices—to promote active learning and distance learning. This technology will be used for interdisciplinary training and innovative projects. A 60 m² space will also be available for entrepreneurship, offering personalized advisory services for project creation and startups.startups) linked to Vocational Training.

Open Warfare

The Teachers' Assembly of the IES Politécnico is not giving up and wants to prevent the closure of the institute and the disappearance of the secondary and high school levels, with the loss of hundreds of places. In a statement, they pointed out that there are still two academic years left until the closure of the IES and that regional elections are scheduled for 2027. In the event of a possible change at the head of the government, they will ask Vera if he has agreed to this measure with the opposition, as he claims he has. This question, the teachers explained, is especially important considering that the start of the works is not scheduled until the fourth quarter of 2026 and that they are estimated to be completed during the second quarter of 2029. The minister assured that students who stop attending the IES will be able to be taken on by the surrounding schools. "There are enough public places," he said, in response to the ARA Baleares initiative, "but this government has always maintained that we have support places with public funds—including those with state-funded subsidies."

It's worth remembering that teachers, unions, and families have filed an administrative appeal against the Ministry of Education's project. This legal proceeding has not yet been resolved, but the interim appeal was dismissed. "The judge indicates that the appellants have not justified the damages caused by the closure and that the Ministry is competent in matters of education. More clearly..." Vera said, when asked if it is safe to start a project without knowing whether it can be carried out.