The Catalan Council of Chambers of Commerce has operated the Integrated Databank (qBID) for more than two decades. This register tracks all administrative operations where VET providers and employers collaborate to set up internships for VET students.
Initially, this register compiled information about school-based VET courses, but it is progressively including data from training programs run by the public employment service.
This task is commissioned and funded by the Education Ministry and the Employment Agency of Catalonia, which own the information.
This data serves as a valuable basis for measuring various aspects of VET in Catalonia, including:
- The socio-demographic profile of students: e.g., location of students and VET providers; gender and age of students across all programs and branches.
- The characteristics of the internships: e.g., duration, location, vacancies, and successful completion rates of internships offered by all VET providers, programs, and branches.
- The job positions of a sample of graduates a few months after completing their program.
Potential analysts of the intelligence produced by the Integrated Databank (qBID) include internship tutors, heads of VET providing institutions, public employment service officers, and academic researchers.
By Xavier Rambla (UAB) and Narcís Bosch (Consell Cambres Comerç Catalunya)