The Tknika centre, under the Vice-Office for Vocational Training of the Basque Country chaired by Jorge Arévalo, launched five years ago the TKgune initiative, which is supported by the Basque Government. ARGIA has obtained the guidelines of the programme named TKgunea, the instructions that are sent to the vocational training centres. According to the 2018 document, 34 CAV centres have participated in the programme and, on the pretext of innovation and the network of centres and companies, teachers are performing functions that do not belong to them.

Although in themselves teachers can offer only training or advice, they go to companies as if they were commercial, analyzing the needs that companies can have and offering projects. If the company approves the project, the teacher will dedicate time to the project. For each visit, TKgune pays the center a certain amount for each project submitted, and once obtained and carried out the project, TKgune pays the center 25% of the project cost. That is why the document states that the invoice must be presented to companies for a value of 100%, indicating that a 25% aid is applied to it, with the final amount to be paid at 75%. That is to say, thanks to this hook the centre sells the project at a price lower than that which would be sold on the market, with a subsidy of 25% from the Basque Government. The bill is made by the centre with the Government’s NIF, but once the project that it has sold has been sold, it must be invoiced as advice and training, as a centre cannot offer anything else.

As indicated in the document, TKgune has a budget of EUR 1,400,000 for this programme. As has been said, TKgune finances with public money the centres participating in the programme, depending on the visit made and the objectives achieved. To this must be added what companies pay the centre for working for companies. It is to be assumed that if visits and projects constitute an important source of income for the centre, there is a high risk that the forces of the teachers will turn to it, as well as that competition will be increased in order to achieve these projects. Teachers are at risk of working more and more for companies rather than teaching them. In short, the center that achieves the objectives obtains, in addition to the financial incentives, hours of teachers who are freed for these tasks. But how is it possible for the administration to allocate public resources between the centres on the basis of these criteria? Should access to these resources be conditional on teachers doing business work? How is it possible that the funding of educational establishments is made conditional upon this and that self-financing of schools is promoted in this way?

“Avoid mentioning that visits are funded”

As has been said, the more visits you make, the more money the college will collect, but the document says it is better to hide it from companies: “We should avoid mentioning that visits and project definition are funded. If we let them see that the center receives money for visiting, rather than as an agent approaching help, they may see us as an agent interested in visiting.” To this economic interest must be added the pressure set by the programme itself, which sets minimum objectives: “We set a minimum target of 30 visas for all schools and 50 for companies with the capacity to do so, as well as a maximum of 120 companies. It should be clarified that the final outcome of such visits should be the development of services. Objectives set: to present a project proposal in one of every four visits and to develop a service in one of every five visits”.

Where is the public information?

It is not easy to find out about this programme that is being promoted on behalf of the Basque Government. Although the bases, decrees and budget headings of other programmes are public, we have not found a concrete basis on this programme, beyond a simple sentence. Nor was the grant of 25% received by the centre regulated for each project carried out. We have tried to get in touch with the Vice-Ministry of Education, but we have not managed to contact them.

What's behind all this?

According to the document, when teachers address companies, they should make it clear to companies that: “Special emphasis must be placed on the fact that the main driver of the project is the Basque Government, the Presidency.” Surely, this very hallmark of Lehendakaritza will help to dispel the doubts and concerns that may arise in companies and educational centers in the face of a practice that is perceived as dark.

Precisely, each school receives a list of companies that are supposed to come from Lehendakaritza to present their projects in those companies. The teacher may also go to another company that is not on the list, but then that center will not receive money from the program if the company is from another school. Who and why criteria makes up the list of companies?

The Basque Government sells innovation and development, but we do not consider innovation to put the centres into business work, but a less transparent cup.

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