Abstract:

Most of the small towns in the interior of Spain have problems with the loss of population, low economic development, and unemployment. This is a very common phenomenon in many areas, such as in the Valencia region, where there are large differences between the coastal zone and the inner area.

Some of these towns have natural resources like rivers, mountainous landscape and vegetation areas that are a major tourist attraction. Education programs are oriented to increase the employment while keeping the characteristics of its population and its territory in the different municipalities.

Sot de Chera, that is located in the region of the Serranía (70 km far from Valencia), is one of these municipalities. In this paper, it is presented the educational experience of using one of these programs and workshops for the recovery of an area of high landscape and environmental value. During the last decade, some efforts have been made to combine these natural resources with other activities to increase the population and the economic activity of the area.

In the case that it is presented, it has been used a combination of teaching methodologies and practical training, connected with the daily work of the people in the town. It has also involved all the inhabitants of the town, including their different opinions and people participation.
The results obtained during the training and occupational project demonstrate the great potential of these interventions. This type of activities and programs has become a big improvement for the sustainable development of these areas.

Keywords:

VET (Vocational Education and Training) for sustainable development, rural education and development, employment workshops.