Vocational training salaries in Spain: strong job prospects, but a pay gap with university

Vocational training now places its graduates into jobs almost as well as university: 75% registered with social security after four years, versus 75.9% for degree holders. But pay still marks the difference: 23,243 euros a year for a Higher Technician qualification versus an average of 30,976 for university graduates.

Vocational training is no longer plan B. In the 2026-2027 school year it reached **1.24 million students** in Spain, 3.1% more than the previous year and over 57% above the figure a decade ago. The data comes from the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports. The stigma it carried for decades is fading, at least when it comes to finding work.

Employability no longer distinguishes between a vocational programme and a degree. The CaixaBank Dualiza Observatory notes that three out of four graduates of Higher Level Dual Vocational Training are registered with social security after four years — that is, **75% of graduates**. The CYD Foundation, in its report The Employability of Young People in Spain 2025, puts the average registration rate for university graduates at **75.9%**. Practically the same percentage.

Companies have also made their move. The study by Adecco and Infoempleo, based on an analysis of **386,315 vacancies**, concludes that nearly half of all new job postings require vocational training qualifications. The labour market values technical education, and it shows in hiring. Where it shows less is in the payslip.

## The pay gap opens early and widens over the years

In the first years after graduating the differences are not dramatic, but they exist. According to CaixaBank Dualiza figures, Higher Level vocational graduates earn on average **19,863 euros a year** at graduation, 20,364 after two years, 21,686 after three and 23,243 after four. Growth of 17% over that period. Intermediate Level graduates earn even less: 19,011 euros in the first year, 18,764 in the second, 19,602 in the third and 20,980 in the fourth.

University plays in a different league. The CYD Foundation shows that, after four years, graduates of private universities earn an average of **33,990 euros**, while graduates of public universities record an average social security contribution base of 30,429 euros. The overall average contribution base in Spain for university graduates is **30,976 euros**. The difference with a Higher Level qualification is around 7,700 euros a year.

That gap widens over time. Management positions are dominated by people with a master's, MBA or postgraduate degree — that is, university graduates. If vocational graduates do not reach senior roles, the salary ceiling becomes entrenched. The Adecco and Infoempleo data confirm it: vacancies for management positions requiring vocational training are residual, around **0.55% of the total**.

## The sector makes the difference: from 18,000 to 28,500 euros

Within vocational training there are very different worlds. The professional family a programme belongs to completely changes the economic outcome. In Higher Level training, the average contribution base in the second year stands at 21,900 euros, but some branches far exceed that figure. Maritime-Fisheries reaches **28,500 euros**, Installation and Maintenance reaches 26,900, Chemistry 26,700 and Mechanical Manufacturing 26,300. Electricity and Electronics sits at 24,200, Safety and Environment at 23,800 and Energy and Water at 23,600.

At the other end, the lowest contribution bases correspond to Personal Image, with **18,000 euros**, trinc by Administration and Management with 19,300, Physical and Sports Activities with 19,600 and Sociocultural and Community Services with 19,900. Between the professional family with the highest and lowest average contribution base there is a difference of **10,500 euros a year**: Maritime-Fisheries is roughly 58% higher than Personal Image.

Some of these branches come close to university salaries. Most remain far off. Technical, IT and technology profiles are the ones that best buck the overall statistics. **Mónica Moso**, researcher at the Knowledge and Innovation Centre of the CaixaBank Dualiza Foundation, explains it thus: "Within vocational training, salary differences are very significant depending on level and professional family." And she adds: "Real access depends heavily on the sector, on experience and on the type of company. In activities where management requires university professional credentials, the university retains a clear access advantage."

## Social perception of pay still works against it

Even before enrolling, the image of vocational training carries a burden when it comes to salaries. The Vocational Training Barometer produced by CaixaBank Dualiza reveals that only a minority believes a vocational graduate earns more than a university graduate. **31%** of respondents think the salaries are similar, while **45%** consider them somewhat lower or much lower. The report describes that perception as "prudent".

It is not an unfounded impression. The figures back it up. Vocational training has gained in employability, student numbers and business recognition, but salary remains its pending subject. The ceiling exists, and it is not a feeling: it is in the contribution data, in the offers for executives and in the promotion path within companies.

Choosing between vocational training and university is no longer a question of finding a job or not. Both routes place their graduates in the labour market at similar rates. The relevant question is another: how much will you earn and how far can you go. There, university is still winning. Technical vocational training, in specific sectors, is closing the gap. The rest, for now, watches from a distance.