Up to 1,500 vocational education students in Aragon will take part during the 2026/27 academic year in the Aragón Talent Challenge, a business-challenge league combining challenge-based learning, training in generative artificial intelligence, and team competition. The program, promoted by the Department of Education, Science and Universities and Fundación Ibercaja, has Microsoft as its technology partner.
Aragón Talent Challenge will bring business challenges into vocational education classrooms
The call is aimed at students in intermediate and advanced vocational education programs at public, state-subsidized, and private schools across Aragon’s three provinces. Participants will work in teams of up to five, guided by a teacher, to solve problems set by companies in the region.
The program features a gamified format designed to strengthen employability through the development of cross-disciplinary competencies, STEAM skills —science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics—, critical thinking, communication, and collaborative work. The initiative is capped at 1,500 participants.
Before the competition begins, teachers and students will receive hybrid, in-person and online training on generative artificial intelligence tools. Microsoft will support this training, along with the so-called STEAM+ Kit, designed to provide the necessary foundations before participants tackle the challenges.
The vocational education competition will run from January to June 2027
The league will be organized into four knockout stages. In the first, all registered teams will take on two challenges, one each month, with the 100 highest-scoring teams advancing to the next round. The second stage will feature a common challenge to select the top 50 teams.
The semifinal will pit those teams against a new shared challenge, from which a jury will select the 10 finalists. In the final stage, teams will publicly present and defend their solutions before professionals and mentors.
The top three teams will receive prizes of €3,000, €2,000, and €1,000, respectively. Participating Aragonese companies and technology organizations will validate the proposals and help connect students with the professional world.
Fundación Ibercaja allocates €42,000 to the vocational education innovation program
Fundación Ibercaja will contribute €42,000 to develop and manage the Aragón Talent Challenge. The Government of Aragon will promote the project through its channels and encourage teacher training in Challenge-Based Learning through the program’s virtual platform.
The initiative is aligned with the Sixth Aragon Vocational Education Plan 2025-2028 and seeks to bring teaching processes closer to situations linked to the operations of real companies based in the region. The proposal was presented by the regional minister of Education, Science and Universities, Carmen Susín, alongside representatives of Fundación Ibercaja and the Government of Aragon.
