Firstly, we would like to address, from a theoretical and practical point of view, the development and implementation of the workplace learning approach in the professional training programs in the Spanish context. Secondly, we would like to present some preliminary results of a research about the quality of internships, workplace practice modules and apprenticeships practices, which take place at some point in the professional training programs.

Vocational Education and Training Systems have attracted the attention of politicians, academics and employers due to a convergence of economic, social, technological and historical factors. Consequently, educational systems are undergoing a process of reforms and deep changes in order to face the challenges of a new global, competitive and knowledge-driven economy. In this context, the Spanish government introduced great changes in the structure of the vocational education and training systems, firstly as a result of the implementation of the European educational policies and, secondly, and more urgently, as a result of the outburst of the economic and financial crisis. These two situations are shaping the landscape of the professional educational system creating new opportunities to develop a more efficient system in some aspects (more flexible, practice-driven training) but at the same time creating inequalities in other aspects (it does not address the needs of vulnerable groups). Three main tools have been developed in order to adapt the structure of the educational system to the new context: national qualification catalogue, modular structure of the training programs' curricula and the internship module or practice in working centers (companies, organizations, etc.). Recently, a new norm has introduced the so-called dual training system and it is being implementing at a diverse pace in different companies. In the presentation we will address the development and implantation of these tools taking into account the particularities of the Spanish context and we will elaborate on the benefits and the drawbacks of these reforms based on a documentary analysis and statistical national data.

One sound critique made to the Spanish Vocational Education and Training Systems was its strong 'academicist' orientation (González-Soto, 2013). Vocational Education and Training programs are suppose to be closely related to work practice, however, in the Spanish context this is not the case. One reason for that is the lack of involvement and participation of the companies in the training process of the workforce. This situation generated a detached educational system from the work reality and significant difficulties to adapt the training offer to the work demands. In order to change this situation, the Spanish government put great effort to overcome this weakness by, among other things, giving more attention to the learning that take place in the workplace. The workplace learning approach is not new in the Spanish context, however, it lacks of a deep theoretical understanding and a committed institutional structure to put it into practice (educational institutions, teachers, companies and employers). In the presentation we will show this problem drawing from data collected by questionnaires and interviews to students, teachers and practice mentors focus on the design and implementation of the internships, workplace practice module or apprenticeships schemas under the newly dual-training system. We will develop the following concerns of the workplace learning approach based on our data: the place of WBL, the tasks of WBL, the teachers and mentors in charge, the structure (duration, supervision, and evaluation). 

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