摘要
The current economic crisis is affecting Spain with special force. Within that context, the relationships between the education system and the economic system become a key issue. The aim of this paper is to make a contribution to the understanding of the relationships between vocational training (VT) centres and small and medium-sized firms (SMEs). Our study is based on a survey of industrial SMEs from two Northern Spanish autonomous communities (Basque Country and Navarre). The different types of SME-VT centre relationship are analyzed, and special attention if devoted to new forms of relationships among those agents (mainly continuous training), and to the possible effects of SME-VT centre collaboration upon the firms* innovation processes. We show that, right now, continuous training activities are a key form of relationship between VT centres and SMEs. That type of relationship acquires an strategic importance from the point of view of the coordination between the training system and the innovation system. La crisis actual, que afecta con especial virulencia a Espa a, obliga a reflexionar sobre las relaciones entre el sistema educativo y el sistema econ車mico. En este trabajo, basado en una encuesta a peque as y medianas empresas industriales de las comunidades aut車nomas vasca y navarra, se pretende avanzar en el conocimiento de las relaciones entre los centros de Formaci車n Profesional y las empresas. Se prestar芍 especial atenci車n a las nuevas formas de relaci車n entre ambos agentes (especialmente la formaci車n continua), y al efecto que la colaboraci車n con los centros de FP pueda tener sobre los procesos de innovaci車n de las empresas. Se muestra que, en la actualidad, las actividades de formaci車n continua constituyen una forma de colaboraci車n importante para las empresas y estrat谷gica desde el punto de vista del ajuste entre el sistema de formaci車n y el sistema de innovaci車n.