New Professional Competency Standards in 10 VET Families: What Changes for Companies in 2026

Key data

If your company operates in sectors such as construction, food, energy, transport or mechanical manufacturing, the standards that define what a worker knows and should know have just changed. The Royal Decree 636/2026, published on July 30, 2026, updates the National Catalog of Professional Competency Standards —the instrument created by Organic Law 3/2022 on VET— in ten key professional families of the Spanish economy.

These standards are not mere formality: they are the official reference for designing VET center training offerings and for workers to be able to accredit competencies acquired through work experience. When they change, the profiles that the market recognizes as valid also change.

What does this regulation establish?

Royal Decree 636/2026 does two specific things: establishes new standards for professional competencies in certain families and eliminates others that had become obsolete. All within the National Catalog of Professional Competency Standards, which is the backbone of the Spanish VET system.

The 10 professional families affected are:

A professional competency standard is the minimum unit of reference in the system: it describes what a worker should be able to do in a specific position, at what level of quality and under what conditions. It is the basis on which VET qualifications, professional certificates and work experience accreditation processes are built.

The regulation explicitly clarifies that it does not regulate any regulated profession nor does it directly affect labor relations. Its impact is on the training and accreditation system, not on contracts or collective agreements.

Economic and operational impact

This regulation does not generate fees, fines or direct costs for companies. Its impact is indirect but relevant in three areas:

• Updated training profiles: Workers who train from now on in these families will do so with the new standards. Companies that collaborate with VET centers or design internal training plans must take into account that the reference framework has changed.
• Accreditation of competencies through experience: Processes for recognizing competencies acquired at work (the so-called accreditation procedures) will be based on the new standards. Workers who previously could accredit certain competencies may see modified requirements.
• Hiring and selection: Qualifications and certificates issued from now on in these families will reflect the new standards. Companies that hire by training profile should update their selection criteria.

No aggregate cost estimates for the productive sector have been published. The regulation applies throughout the national territory without distinction by autonomous community.

Who does it affect?

• Companies in the 10 affected sectors that hire, train or certify workers with VET profiles.
• HR and training departments that manage continuous training plans or collaborate with dual VET centers.
• Workers in these sectors who want to accredit competencies acquired through work experience.
• Vocational Training Centers (public and private) that must adapt their training offerings to the new standards.
• Public administrations that manage professional competency accreditation calls.
• Training advisors and consultants who design training pathways for companies in these sectors.

Practical example

Imagine a company in the Energy and Water sector with 30 workers that wants to promote a maintenance technician internally. That worker has been in the position for 8 years but has no official qualification. The company wants him to access a competency accreditation process through work experience to obtain a recognized certificate.

With Royal Decree 636/2026 in force, the accreditation process will be governed by the new competency standards of the Energy and Water family, not the previous ones. If the new standards incorporate digital or energy efficiency competencies that were not there before, the worker will also have to demonstrate these capabilities —or train in them— to obtain full accreditation.

The same reasoning applies to a Food Industries company that collaborates with a dual VET center: the training modules that its apprentices receive will be designed based on the new standards, which may involve changes in the tasks assigned during company-based training.

What should companies do now?

1. Identify if your sector is among the 10 affected. Review the table of professional families. If you operate in construction, food, energy, transport, mechanical manufacturing, textiles, agriculture, graphic arts, environmental safety or administration, this regulation affects you.
2. Review internal training plans. If you have a continuous training plan linked to VET profiles, check with your training center or training manager if the modules remain aligned with the new standards.
3. Update personnel selection criteria. New qualifications and certificates issued in these families will reflect updated competencies. Adjust job profiles if you hire by VET qualification.
4. Inform workers who have accreditation processes underway. If any employee is in a competency recognition process through work experience, verify if the new standards affect the requirements they must meet.
5. Consult with the VET centers you collaborate with. If you have dual VET or internship agreements, ask the centers to inform you of the specific changes in the affected modules.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source (BOE-A-2026-16551)

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-16551