While the Generalitat has not yet decided whether it will build a single complex or two, one in Orihuela and another in Torrevieja, the Director General of Vocational Training, Marta Armendia, visited Torrevieja and, when questioned by the media, was still unable to clarify the details of the new Comprehensive Vocational Training Centre for the Vega Baja, for which Orihuela and Torrevieja are now competing, after the Consell ruled out Guardamar as a location.
Indeed, Armendia did not even want to clarify whether there will be one centre or two in the region. All this after the previous president, Ximo Puig, announced in the middle of the electoral campaign that there would be three: in Orihuela, one in Torrevieja and another in Guardamar.
However, she did rule out Guardamar as a location for the centre although Mayor José Luis Sáez, has announced legal action against the decision of the Consell deprive him of this educational infrastructure.
Armendia said that Guardamar is ruled out because the municipality does not have an adequate transport network that connects it with the rest of the nearby municipalities, nor does it have a sufficient number of companies to absorb the number of graduates who will leave the college in the future. She also pointed out that it does not have a relevant school population.
Also, in response to questions from the media, the Torrevieja Councillor for Education, Ricardo Recuero, countered that his city does have the necessary potential, a growing school population – and in many cases overflowing – as well as companies and demands for jobs. He said that the previous Consell had already received an offer from the Torrevieja of land in the sector under construction in La Hoya which will be able to house this Comprehensive Vocational Training Centre, as well as another plot on Calle Manzanilla Street to build the new college, IES number 6.
Armendia, however, did give a clue when he assessed that the Vega Baja has an unmet demand for vocational training courses. Specifically, she pointed out that it is necessary to reinforce the staff in Tourism and Hospitality, more associated with the coastal area, and in Transport and Logistics, more associated with the agri-food industry in the interior of the region.
