Exit Foundation Strategic Plan 2025–2029
The complete circle of guidance
With this strategic plan, we strengthen our commitment to completing the circle of guidance: we support young people in vulnerable social situations from the discovery of their vocation to their first experience in the world of work. We connect the education system with the business sector, generating real opportunities for the future.
Current Scenario
EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING
Spain continues to present high rates of early school leaving, above the European average. This reality particularly affects young people in vulnerable situations and has significant consequences for their personal development and future employment opportunities.
MISMATCH BETWEEN EDUCATION AND THE LABOUR MARKET
The labour market increasingly demands intermediate technical profiles. If the number of Vocational Education and Training (VET) graduates does not increase, more than 92,000 job opportunities linked to VET could remain unfilled before 2030, according to CaixaBank Dualiza’s annual report.
BOOST OF DUAL VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING
The new VET system structurally incorporates in-company training, which can represent between one quarter and half of the learning process, depending on the programme. This evolution opens up a major opportunity to connect education and employment, but it also requires ensuring that all young people can access these opportunities on equal terms.
HIGH EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING RATE
HIGH EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING RATE
The Early School Leaving Rate (ESL) in Spain is 13.9%, the second highest in the entire EU. This means that 1 out of every 7 young people leaves education prematurely*.
The ESL rate is twice as high among young people from low-income families and immigrant families. (*Source: EPA 2022)
DEMAND FOR INTERMEDIATE PROFILES
DEMAND FOR INTERMEDIATE PROFILES
By 2025, we will need 50% of the active population to have intermediate-level education*.
Currently, only 23% of the population falls within this education category, while 30% have primary or secondary education (ESO). (*Source: Government of Spain)
LATE INCORPORATIONS
LATE INCORPORATIONS
The hiring of individuals with basic education has decreased, while the demand is increasing in strategic sectors such as IT, industrial, energy, and healthcare, which require profiles with higher specialization (vocational training of medium or higher degree).
CHANGING LABOR MARKET
CHANGING LABOR MARKET
More than half of Spanish boys and girls aspire to pursue a limited list of professions*.
Simultaneously, it is estimated that 65% of the jobs they will occupy have not yet been ‘invented’. (*Source: OECD)
New reality, new positioning
At Fundación Exit, we firmly believe that every young person has potential and should have equal opportunities to develop it. Therefore, we consider it unjust that factors such as their postal code or the household they are born into should limit their future.
Mission
Our mission is to help reduce early school leaving among young people in vulnerable social situations by connecting the education and business worlds through transformative guidance and dual training experiences.
Vision
We aim to be the leading NGO in Barcelona, Madrid, and Seville for schools and companies that commit to co-designing and implementing guidance and dual training projects for young people in vulnerable social situations, in sectors that offer them future opportunities.
Values
- Equal opportunities
- Innovation
- Bridging the social and business worlds.
As part of this strategic plan, we focus on providing comprehensive guidance to young people, connecting the education system with the business sector.
Our model of action
At Exit Foundation, we promote an approach that recognises young people’s talents and strengthens their confidence in their abilities. Our work is based on this conviction, focusing on their potential, creating experiences that allow them to envision themselves as future professionals, and encouraging the involvement of companies as key agents in the process.
With this strategis plan, we take a sept forward and evolve towards a comprehensive guidance model, aligned with OECD recommendations, that more directly connects the education system and the business world.
The strategic plan is structured arounf two main lines of action:
Guidance through corporate volunteering
We promote educational and career guidance experiences in which professionals from companies support young people in their professional discovery process.
These experiences revolve around three key dimensions:
- Self-awareness and motivation
- Exploration of the labour market
- Academic and career decision-making
Thanks to company involvement, corporate volunteering allows young people to have role models from the working world, identify opportunities, and broaden their horizons.
Dual training in companies
We promote training placements in companies for students in Lower Secondary VET and Intermediate VET, facilitating direct contact with real professions and work environments.
We aim to focus on sectors where there is a supply-demand mismatch that can be addressed with technical VET profiles. Ideally, with large companies that can help open doors within SMEs in their value chain, creating strategic relationships between schools and businesses.
Our goal is for each Lower Secondary VET and Intermediate VET classroom to have a large company supporting students throughout their training process, along with an ecosystem of SMEs that host them during internships.
A model focused on connecting the individual abilities of each young person with the specific needs of the environment and the job market to optimize their performance, enhance their capabilities, and generate new opportunities.
AXES 2025-2029
Training placements in companies (Dual VET)
Increase learning opportunities in real work environments by promoting Dual Vocational Education and Training projects and strengthening the involvement of SMEs.
Focus on strategic sectors
Align activities with high-demand employment sectors to help reduce the gap between education and the labour market.
Triangular collaboration model
Strengthen collaboration between schools, companies, and Exit Foundation, creating an ecosystem that supports young people throughout their educational and professional journey. Ideally starting with Lower Secondary VET students, with the aim of continuing into Intermediate VET, and later entering the labour market and/or pursuing Higher VET studies.
Innovation and impact
Improve the fulfilment of our mission through methodological innovation, impact measurement, technology, and strategic partnerships.
