The generational change (with Dual FP) in Spain

There are various success factors in SMEs and family businesses in Spain, business organizations that generate employment, but which face generational change as one of their main challenges. First, they currently create 67% of private employment, with a total of more than 6.58 million jobs, and are responsible for 57.1% of the national GDP of the private sector.

In addition, they have great flexibility in adapting to social and economic changes: diversifying products and services and internationalizing, in the case of those that are more structured. The perpetuation of the competitive potential of family businesses and SMEs is based on the commitment of the founder / s, or current / is responsible / s in planning their succession process.

For the most part, these companies are managed by the first or second generation, and their managers are almost always members of the same family, or team that usually owns 100% of the company. They are responsible for deciding the how and when of the succession.

The difficulty of generational change in SMEs

In parallel, we find ourselves with a problem, constant in recent decades, which is repeated in practically all companies; both SMEs and family members, whether for products or services. It is about the lack of interest by some of the members of the new generations to continue in them and, therefore, the non-renewal with trained and qualified people in various positions. The causes are derived because the production increases or the retirement age of the employed technicians is reached, which cannot be replaced, finding those responsible for Human Resources with a permanent reality that lasts over time; From all this, it is not an easy task, the fact of not finding suitable profiles in the labor market.

SMEs contain in their DNA tradition, continuity, good understanding, and commitment of managers to the quality of life and well-being of their employees, and of these to the company. So what happens? What can you do about it?

Regarding the planning of the generational change in management, according to an AEMIFESA study carried out in 2020, more than half of the companies have a succession plan or are planning to develop it; although only one in five has a written Family Protocol. The rest of the surveyed companies state that they do not know what a family protocol consists of or do not consider it necessary.

Dual VET as support for renewal in companies

Regarding the planning of the generational change in production, it is necessary to clearly support Dual Vocational Training as a real alternative, given that, in this modality of Dual Vocational Training, companies become learning centers where the student experiences, practical way, all the knowledge that you have acquired in a theoretical way.

Today this model is successfully established in various European countries with a clear result: students can work and learn about business first-hand while they are studying.

Consequently, the generational change and the higher qualification of professionals “leads various sectors to become fully involved in Dual Vocational Training”, if they want to maintain a guaranteed continuity in the future. Likewise, there is a need to “carry out more campaigns to promote the dual modality because, in addition, there are very attractive sectors for finding a job, in which more and more trained professionals are needed.”

Only by making an important commitment to training, will it be solved in many companies daily situations such as immersion in digitization in all sectors, which is already a reality, or to deal with other qualified projects derived from European funds “Next Generation EU ”, among others.

A model of success

In addition, there is a need to have more qualifications that are in demand in various sectors, and with more centers in which to provide professional training, since those existing today are scarce for the demand that many sectors are already beginning to have.

In short, it is a “success model”, which guarantees access to qualified employees, reducing the misallocation of jobs. And one of its main advantages is the commitment to Social Responsibility (CSR) of the company and the greater link with it.