Abstract:

During the 2024–2025 academic year, the School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering (ETSIAAB-UPM) and the Integrated Vocational Education and Training (VET) Centre Escuela de la Vid have consolidated a collaboration that exemplifies educational integration between VET and higher education within the agri-food sector. This cooperation stems from shared interests in vineyard sustainability and in strengthening continuity across educational levels.

Support from the Dualiza grant, jointly promoted by CaixaBank Dualiza and the Spanish Association of VET Centres (FPEmpresa), has provided the framework for this collaboration. Within this context, ETSIAAB faculty members have acted as technical advisors to the Escuela de la Vid and have delivered training sessions for both teachers and students. This joint effort has fostered a shared learning environment where technical innovation and pedagogical reflection converge around a common goal.

The partnership has also been reinforced through a Service-Learning project, whose main component is the Master’s Thesis of a student from the Master’s Degree in Agricultural Engineering (UPM). The thesis focuses on the renovation and sustainable management of the Casa de Campo urban vineyard, a site declared Cultural Heritage of Interest, linking postgraduate education to the enhancement of an educational and cultural landscape.

In addition, a collaboration agreement between ETSIAAB-UPM and Escuela de la Vid enables nine VET students to undertake practical training in ETSIAAB’s experimental vineyards, strengthening the connection between academic learning and applied agricultural practice through hands-on experience in research-oriented fieldwork.

Together, these initiatives shape a cooperative educational ecosystem in which VET and higher education converge to promote sustainability, teaching innovation, and active learning. This experience highlights the value of interinstitutional cooperation as a means to foster integrated learning pathways and stronger links between academic knowledge and professional practice in the agri-food sector.

Keywords:

Vocational Education and Training (VET), higher education, cooperation, service-learning, sustainability, viticulture, agri-food education.