This is how Yolanda Díaz’s reform impacts companies and workers

The recent regulation of the training contract, approved by the Council of Ministers changes the regulation of job training in Spain. The objective is to bring order to an area, in many cases, plagued by abuses. As the Minister of Labor herself, Yolanda Díaz, has defended, the aim is, on the one hand, to modernize the business fabric and, on the other, retain young talent that leaves or accepts unfair conditions.

One of the central points of the reform is the salary guarantee. From now onno training contract may be paid below the Minimum Interprofessional Salary (SMI). This measure definitively breaks with the figure of the precarious or directly unpaid intern. The regulatory development was born with the purpose of eradicate abusive practices that for years have characterized the use of scholarship holders and students in Spain.

The new training contracts

This Royal Decree, which develops article 11 of the Workers’ Statute, establishes two types of contracts: alternation training and obtaining professional practice. The first is intended for people who continue training and combine academic learning with paid work activity. The second corresponds to those who have already completed a degree but require direct experience in the field.

For Yolanda Díaz, the alternating contract is key because it is the predominant model in Europe and the one that best connects training and productivity. Its integration into the Spanish system aims to reduce the gap between the skills that young people acquire and those that the labor market really demands. According to the data cited, 35% of workers in Spain are employed in positions that require less training than the one they own.

Limits for training contracts

The regulation also introduces limits intended to prevent companies from replacing staff through training contracts. Companies with up to 10 workers may only have a maximum of three contracts of this type simultaneously; those with between 11 and 30 employees, seven; those with 31 to 50 workers, ten; and, from 51 employees, a maximum of 20% of the workforce.

Likewise, training support is regulated. Any person hired under this modality You will be entitled to an individual program, prepared by public employment services, educational authorities or university centers. Furthermore, companies must ensure internal tutors which will not be able to take on more than five people in training (or three, if the staff is less than 30 employees).

Working time is also limited. During the first year it may not exceed 75% of the maximum working day and, during the second, 85%. For labor protection reasons, overtime, night work and shifts are not permitted.. The duration of the contracts will be between three months and one yearalways ensuring compatibility with the studies.