Marc comes to my 'functional' training class. At some point, 'functional' became a word to refer to a type of physical exercise and we all accepted it. It sounds strange to me. 'Functional' sounds to me like 'the minimum you can do to get by in life'. I'd like to know why it is, functional. Does it make you functional? I understand it does, that you get strong to be functional as a human being. Which is the reason I signed up for it. To have some strength, in the future, to be autonomous, control my sphincters and not defecate on myself after giving birth (if I ever do), for example, or to be able to carry milk cartons and not need the help of these children I will have given birth to. I don't know. I don't know why I think about it in terms of motherhood. The thing is, if I don't do anything about it, my musculature will start to detach more and more from my bones, until it becomes totally dysfunctional. Now I see it that way, in practical terms. But for a long time it wasn't like that: it was in aesthetic terms that I thought about it. And I feel sorry that Marc ends up experiencing the same thing.

In recent years, Vocational Training (FP) in the Balearic Islands has received a significant boost from both society and the government, with the aim of enhancing its prestige. This effort has resulted in greater visibility, stronger ties with businesses, and innovation in training programs, all in an attempt to demonstrate that FP is a solid and promising career path. Despite these advances, the reality for students remains precarious: almost half of those enrolled in Basic Vocational Training drop out before obtaining their qualification. According to data provided by Francesca Salvà, director of the Research and Innovation Laboratory in Vocational Training at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), based on a monitoring study by the Ministry of Education, 42.4% of Basic Vocational Training students leave their studies before graduating, four percentage points above the national average. At the intermediate level, the dropout rate is 26.8%, almost the same as in Spain as a whole, and at the advanced level it reaches 18.5%, also above the national average. Although these figures are negative, they are better than in previous years. However, when compared to the overall school dropout rate, which stands at 20.14%, they prompt reflection on what is going wrong. This contrast between the image of vocational training as a successful and highly valued path and the dropout rates marks the students' journey. Many arrive without knowing exactly what vocational training entails, hoping for purely practical instruction, and drop out when they discover that the weight of theory is unavoidable. Families without the resources to provide support, overwhelmed guidance counselors, and a labor market that rewards a lack of qualifications exacerbate this problem.