Educational Programs
BASIC-LEVEL VOCATIONAL TRAINING – Daytime – In-Person
- Administrative Services – 1 class
- Electrical Engineering and Electronics – 1 class
- Cooking and Food Service – 4 classes in 1st year and 3 classes in 2nd year
- Computer Science and Communications – 2 classes
INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL VOCATIONAL TRAINING – Daytime – In-Person
- Administrative Management – 2 classes
- Computer Systems and Networks – 2 classes
Educational Offer
Basic Vocational Training (FP Grado Básico) — Daytime · On-site
- Administrative Services — 1 class group
- Electricity and Electronics — 1 class group
- Cooking and Catering — 4 class groups in Year 1 and 3 class groups in Year 2
- IT and Communications — 2 class groups
Intermediate Vocational Training (Grado Medio) — Daytime · On-site
- Administrative Management — 2 class groups
- Microcomputer Systems and Networks — 2 class groups
The School’s Mission Statement
The CPR FPE Fundación Tomillo is a state-subsidized school in the Community of Madrid, operated by the Fundación Tomillo, a private nonprofit organization founded in 1984 that promotes the educational, occupational, and social integration of individuals and groups at risk of exclusion or from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. To this end, it works in the fields of education, training, and social and vocational guidance.
The center offers Basic and Intermediate Vocational Training programs in the fields of Hospitality, Administration, Electrical and Electronics, and Computer Science through a comprehensive pedagogical model, in which socio-educational interventions include meaningful learning experiences through art, sports, nature, technology, and service-learning.
The Strategic Improvement Plan (PEM) is part of the PROA+ program and aims primarily to improve students’ educational success—especially that of students in vulnerable situations—through an institutional strategy focused on innovation, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
Strategic Objectives
- Improve instrumental skills (mathematics and communication) in Basic Vocational Training by 5% annually, reaching a 75% promotion/graduation rate.
- Integrate social-emotional competencies into teaching curriculum and assessment.
- Reduce the number of students with learning difficulties through academic support and co-teaching.
Selected Palanca Activities
A101 – Barrier Assessment
Objective: To detect learning difficulties in core skills (mathematics and communication) at an early stage, particularly in intermediate-level vocational training.
Key Actions:
- Design of initial diagnostic tests.
- Digitization of vulnerability assessments.
- Anticipating challenges in reducing absenteeism and demotivation.
Areas: Inclusion, assessment, guidance.
A230 – Support Activities for Academic Improvement and Success
Objective: To improve the instrumental skills of students in Basic Vocational Training.
Key Actions:
- Educational Support Plan with Co-Teaching.
- Gamified activities and context-based hands-on exercises.
- Formative Assessment and Metacognition.
- Development of social-emotional skills.
Areas: Learning, inclusion, family involvement.
A305 – Emotional Expressions to Enhance Learning
Objective: To integrate social-emotional competencies into teaching practice.
Key Actions:
- Teacher Training in 5 Social-Emotional Competencies.
- Inclusion of specific activities in the curriculum.
- Assessment of Social-Emotional Competencies Using Moodle.
- Use of learning portfolios and participatory assessment cycles.
Areas: Teacher training, assessment, students’ personal development.
Evaluation and Monitoring
Each AP includes:
- Specific achievement indicators.
- Implementation Schedule.
- Designated officials.
- Midterm and final assessments.
- Inclusion in the PGA and the school’s annual report.
Conclusion
The CPR FPE Fundación Tomillo School Plan represents a firm commitment to equity, inclusion, and continuous improvement. Through participatory strategic planning, it seeks to transform the educational experience of the most vulnerable students by equipping them with academic, social-emotional, and digital tools to support their personal and professional development.
School Ethos
CPR FPE Fundación Tomillo is a publicly funded private school (centro concertado) of the Community of Madrid, belonging to Fundación Tomillo, a private non-profit organisation founded in 1984 that promotes the educational, labour-market and social inclusion of people and groups at risk of exclusion or from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. To this end, it works in the fields of education, training and socio-occupational guidance.
The school offers Basic and Intermediate Vocational Training programmes in the fields of Hospitality, Administration, Electricity and Electronics, and IT, through a comprehensive pedagogical model in which socio-educational intervention includes meaningful learning experiences through art, sport, nature, technology and service-learning.
The Strategic Improvement Plan (PEM) is framed within the PROA+ programme and its main objective is to improve students’ educational success, especially for those in vulnerable situations, through an institutional strategy of innovation, inclusion and continuous improvement.
Strategic Objectives
- Improve instrumental competences (Mathematics and Communication) by 5% per year in Basic Vocational Training, reaching a 75% progression/graduation rate.
- Integrate socio-emotional competences into teaching planning and assessment.
- Reduce the number of students with learning difficulties through educational reinforcement and co-teaching.
Selected Lever Activities
A101 — Assessment of barriers
Objective: Detect learning difficulties in instrumental competences (mathematics and communication) at an early stage, especially in Intermediate Vocational Training.
- Design of initial diagnostic tests.
- Digitalisation of the vulnerability diagnosis.
- Anticipating difficulties in order to reduce absenteeism and demotivation.
Areas: Inclusion, assessment, guidance.
A230 — Reinforcement activities for educational improvement and success
Objective: Improve the instrumental competences of Basic Vocational Training students.
- Educational support plan with co-teaching.
- Gamified activities and contextualised practice.
- Formative assessment and metacognition.
- Development of socio-emotional competences.
Areas: Learning, inclusion, family involvement.
A305 — Emotional perspectives to improve learning
Objective: Integrate socio-emotional competences into teaching practice.
- Teacher training in 5 socio-emotional competences.
- Inclusion of specific activities in the teaching programmes.
- Assessment of socio-emotional competences through Moodle.
- Use of learning portfolios and participatory assessment cycles.
Areas: Teacher training, assessment, students’ personal development.
Evaluation and Monitoring
Each Lever Activity includes:
- Specific achievement indicators.
- Implementation timeline.
- Designated people in charge.
- Mid-term and final evaluation.
- Inclusion in the Annual General Programme (PGA) and the school’s Annual Report.
Conclusion
The School Plan of CPR FPE Fundación Tomillo is a firm commitment to equity, inclusion and continuous improvement. Through participatory strategic planning, it seeks to transform the educational reality of the most vulnerable students, equipping them with academic, socio-emotional and digital tools for their personal and professional development.
Complementary Services
In line with the comprehensive intervention we promote at Fundación Tomillo, we run Non-Formal Education programmes open to our Vocational Training students: Personal Development and Leadership programmes such as Oportunidad al Talento, Espacio de Artes Escénicas (Performing Arts Space) and Ubuntu.
Educational Programmes and Projects
Vocational guidance
This project delves into self-awareness and the identification of interests and strengths, with the aim of awakening the underlying vocations that will serve as the basis for conscious decision-making. Employability competences are also developed. It is delivered throughout the entire school year.
Entrepreneurship project
During the 2025/26 school year, Intermediate Vocational Training students in Administrative Management will carry out a competence-development project together with entrepreneurs. These entrepreneurs will set them real challenges they face or have had to face, so the young people can work on them. At the end of the project, these students will have the opportunity to do their work placements (FCT) at the companies of the entrepreneurs they have worked with during the year.
Energy efficiency
Energy Efficiency is a project that aims to reduce energy poverty and make homes in the Usera and Carabanchel districts more environmentally sustainable. To do this, students specialise in energy efficiency and run intervention and awareness sessions on the use of different household devices and appliances in their own homes, following the solidarity-based service-learning methodology. The project runs throughout the school year, with a heavier workload towards the end, and involves Basic Vocational Training (FPB) students from Electricity, IT and Communications, and Administrative Services.
Erasmus+ grants
A European programme that promotes better job prospects and personal development for young people, providing mobility grants that allow them to do their work placements (FCTs) in a European Union country.
EXE educational coaching
For students interested in the international programmes, free Portuguese/English classes are offered outside school hours in small groups, to help them improve their oral skills in the language. It is aimed at all students who volunteer for the programme’s selection process and runs from October to February.
Additional language support classes
Year 1 ADGB students will take part in a programme coordinated between the Formal Training educational team and the company ING, based on an educational coaching and mentoring process. The sessions will take place during school hours and will alternate with work at the school and company visits.
DataCenter Academy and CompTIA Certification in Microcomputer Systems and Networks
Specific training programme for students and teachers to obtain CompTIA certifications and server licences, as well as Tomillo DAC Lab equipment. The programme is integrated as a classroom laboratory where students practise in a real working environment. In this real work environment our students will have the personalised advice of professionals from companies in the sector and professionals from Fundación Tomillo.
Key Principles of the Educational Project
Within our educational model, Orienta+ re-emerges strongly: a guidance and support model that seeks to meet young people’s needs in a comprehensive way. It arises from the need to show that, by placing all of the Foundation’s services and know-how at the service of the most disadvantaged young people, we can enable them to develop their full potential and build the competences that will allow them to lead a fulfilling life. To this end, the Orienta+ model highlights: the importance of the welcome process and building a bond, the personalised support plan as a tool for empowerment based on free choice, socio-emotional development as a driver of autonomy, and the measurement of social impact.
The objectives are to ensure that young people who have left the mainstream system remain in education, to foster competence development that allows them to move on to their next (academic or professional) stage successfully, and to provide vocational and professional experiences that enable them to build a life plan.
Our educational model is made up of several main building blocks that together form a comprehensive learning experience which goes beyond the classic divisions of formal education, non-formal education and education for employment. These blocks are:
- Trayecto Contigo (“Journey With You”), which provides students with guidance and personal-development mentors who ensure the individualisation of learning and each student’s process of vocational discovery.
- Learning experiences. These are moments designed to inspire, broaden students’ perspectives and aspirations, or let them live through relevant situations they can reflect on and learn from.
- The methodology used is based on Project-Based Learning with a Service-Learning approach – where students learn by doing through individual and group projects that structure the learning process, adding a service dimension to their final product.
- Evidence-based assessment of technical and socio-emotional competences. Beyond outcome assessment, we focus above all on assessing process and progress, using a holistic approach (self-assessment, teacher assessment, peer assessment).
In contexts of social vulnerability, the development of socio-emotional competences is one of the keys to young people’s success, both at school and in life. At Fundación Tomillo we want young people to develop a set of skills and competences that allow them to become aware, capable and committed citizens: a body of knowledge, skills, attitudes and feelings that helps young people and adults lead a fulfilling school, professional and personal life. It includes these five competences:
Socio-emotional competences
- Self-awareness
- Self-regulation
- Responsible decision-making
- Relationship skills
- Social competence
We could conclude that Fundación Tomillo is the sum of efforts, methodologies, levers and resources, strategically planned and sequenced with the aim of showing that, by working in an integrated way on the formal and non-formal, personal and professional, as well as social and community dimensions, it is possible to change the life trajectory of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, creating an innovative model that ensures the young people who go through it are more competent from a socio-emotional point of view, more employable, and have a life plan that allows them to make informed decisions about their future.
Organisation and Operating Rules
Attendance and Punctuality
Arriving at class up to 10 minutes late is considered a late arrival, and entry to the class is allowed. After those ten minutes, students may not interrupt the class and must wait outside the school until the start time of the next class if the delay occurs first thing in the morning or after the break. Beyond 10 minutes it counts as an absence at any point of the school day. Absences must be justified.
Behaviour at School
Food and drink: eating and drinking must take place outside the classrooms; only drinking water from a closed bottle is allowed inside. Attitude and behaviour in the classroom and around the school must be in keeping with an educational environment in aspects such as personal hygiene, language, dress and appearance.
Accessories
When classes begin, students must have put away their caps/hats and taken off their coats in order to settle into the classroom environment.
Materials
Students must come to the classroom with the school materials needed to make the most of the classes.
Common Areas
Landings, staircases and the residents’ courtyard: these are transit areas where students must not stay during school hours or during the break.
Use of the lift: only students who need to go up to the 5th floor and those with permission due to duly justified mobility problems may use the lift, in groups of no more than 4 people.
Smoking areas: the only place where smoking is allowed is outside the school building.
Use of Electronic Devices
Mobile phones must be switched off throughout the entire school day. In the event of improper use, the student in question will be told to go home for breaking school rules. The use of phones and/or headphones inside the classroom is restricted to those situations in which the teaching staff consider it appropriate or necessary.
Details of current school year activities
At Fundación Tomillo we work in partnership with other organisations and social agents involved in improving the socio-educational and employment conditions of young people in vulnerable situations, as a key element for the success of our programmes and activities. These organisations provide us with:
Volunteering
Specialised training experiences in which our students receive awareness-raising sessions and specific training on current topics.
Work placements
So that our students can complete their FFE (In-Company Training Phase) and thereby finish their vocational training.
Financial support
To fund programmes and maintain our facilities.
Advice and training
Expert guidance and continuous training to reinforce the quality of our educational programmes.
Led by the Internationalisation area and framed within the Erasmus+ programme, the following exchanges will take place over the 25-26 school year:
Portugal (Sintra and Porto)
Visit by teachers and students from a Hospitality school as part of a programme for exchanging knowledge and active methodologies. Likewise, these schools will host our Intermediate (Grado Medio) and Basic (Grado Básico) Vocational Training students for work placements.
France
Visit by a socio-educational organisation with the aim of promoting visits by their students to our hospitality training centre.
Ireland
Visit by experts from the Dublin Data Center with the aim of training and guiding our teachers and Intermediate Vocational Training students in the IT specialisation in its use.
Norway
Visit by the head of school and labour-market integration of minors in care for central Norway, with the aim of closing a collaboration agreement for the exchange of visits between Norwegian and Spanish teachers and students.
School Results
*** Information under construction ***:
The school’s results on all general tests in which students participate, broken down by educational level and for each of the assessed areas.
*** Information under construction ***:
The school’s results on all general tests in which students participate, broken down by educational level and for each of the assessed areas.
School Results
*** Information under construction ***:
The school’s results in all general assessments in which its students take part, detailing the result obtained by educational stage and in each of the dimensions assessed.
Contact
Tomillo Foundation Center
Institutional email: cc.fundaciontomillo.madrid@educa.madrid.org /
fundacion@tomillo.org
Usera Campus: 15 Albuñuelas St., Madrid 28041
Carabanchel Campus (Hospitality School): 2 Jose del Río St. – 28019 Madrid
Contact numbers: 917239353 / 660726298
A person-centered support process
Tomillo is a promoter and active partner of the Second Chance Schools (E2O) network, with which it shares an innovative pedagogical model.
Our program is primarily aimed at young people between the ages of 15 and 29 and their families, who come from socially vulnerable backgrounds in southern Madrid. We offer flexible, personalized pathways focused on developing essential and job-related skills, while also establishing close ties with the business community.
This model is at the core of our identity and of what we do, and it focuses on the holistic development of young people, taking into account their needs and potential. The model addresses the following areas for change:
- Improving social-emotional, technical, and practical skills
- Identify personalized goals aligned with one’s individual calling,
- To facilitate access to educational and employment opportunities, and
- Build support networks to help people achieve their life goals.
At the heart of our work is building a positive relationship.
We are referring to the relationship that develops between young people and the professionals who support them on their journey. This foundation is essential for young people to commit to their personal development and helps dismantle limiting beliefs stemming from previous unsuccessful experiences in the educational system.
At the same time, it promotes connections at other levels:
With the organization itself, fostering a sense of belonging to the Tomillo Foundation,
Working with the community and the local environment to support young people in building bridges to the region and promoting new avenues for participation (such as associations and neighborhood communities, among others).
At Fundación Tomillo, we believe it is possible to transform the way we support young people, especially those from vulnerable backgrounds. That is why we propose an innovative approach based on the seamless integration of formal and non-formal education into a single learning ecosystem.
Our approach goes beyond simply offering educational alternatives: we seek to create a sustainable environment that fosters comprehensive, long-term development. To this end, we have designed our own competency framework that integrates two main dimensions:
Technical and Professional Skills: We promote the development of key knowledge and skills in three fundamental areas:
- Literacy
- Mathematical Logic
- Digital Skills
In addition, we offer training in specific vocational fields that align with the interests and aspirations of young people, such as:
- Computer Programming
- Electronics
- Kitchen and living room, among others
Social-Emotional Skills:
These competencies encompass knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable people to function successfully in their personal, social, academic, and professional lives .
After a thorough analysis of international models, at the Tomillo Foundation we have developed our own framework for social-emotional competencies, inspired primarily by the CASEL model, which has been widely validated and applied in the European context with young people at risk of exclusion.
Since 2019, we have been adapting and refining this framework. In 2024, thanks to the support of grants for activities of general interest promoted by the Secretariat of State for Social Rights, we have had the opportunity to share our proposal with other organizations throughout the country through the project:
“Broadening Horizons: Training for Social-Educational Professionals to Strengthen Social-Emotional Skills in Youth”
This collaborative effort has resulted in a reorganization of the competency framework into three areas:
- “Me” Domain: Self-Awareness and Self-Regulation (intrapersonal skills).
- “ME IN RELATIONSHIPS” Domain: Social competence and relational skills (interpersonal skills).
- “I IN ACTION” Area: Responsible decision-making and being an agent of change, fostering prosocial attitudes and improving the community environment.
In 2025, thanks to the “Learning by Doing” project, funded by the Ministry of Social Rights and the 2030 Agenda through a call for grants to carry out activities of general interest deemed to be of social interest, under the purview of the Secretariat of State for Social Rights, we have expanded our program to organizations throughout the country, establishing a comprehensive training plan within an LMS environment featuring 22 training modules:
💻 Online training course for professionals
Based on this experience, we have designed an online course aimed at:
- Teachers
- Social educators
- Guidance Counselors
This course is designed for those who work with young people from vulnerable backgrounds and want to strengthen their social-emotional skills.
🎯 Course Objectives
- Innovating in Educational Methodologies
- Designing Transformative Activities
- Building Solid and Sustainable Life Plans
🧩 Course Content
- Tomillo Foundation Competency Framework: Strategies and Concrete Proposals for Classroom Implementation
- Cross-cutting highlights:
- Introduction to the Competency-Based Approach
- Competency-Based Programming
- Formative Assessment and Active Learning Methods
📲 Digital format
- 100% digital material
- Audiovisual content and infographics
- Hands-on activities with learning assessment
🚀 Benefits
- Direct Application in the Classroom
- Methodological Innovation in Various Educational Contexts
- Comprehensive Development of Social-Emotional Skills
📊 Training Results
2024 Edition
- 88% completed 75% of the exercises on their first attempt
- Average score for understanding the framework: 9.3/10
2025 Edition
- 91% completed 75% of the exercises on their first attempt
- Average score for understanding the framework: 9/10
- 89% correctly apply social-emotional strategies in the classroom
💡 Notable Improvement:
Between 2024 and 2025, performance and understanding of the competency framework have increased significantly, demonstrating the course’s effectiveness.
🔜 Next Steps
Our goal now is to continue strengthening and expanding this learning experience. We are working to continuously improve the online course by incorporating pedagogical adjustments based on the results obtained and the needs of the participants. We are also developing new short modules and content that delve deeper into the practical application of these strategies in various educational contexts, with examples and useful tools for everyday classroom use.
At the same time, we are developing a digital competency assessment tool that will enable more systematic and longitudinal monitoring of young people’s social-emotional development, so that professionals can support them and tailor their interventions with greater precision and effectiveness.
Ultimately, our goal is for this course not only to impart knowledge, but also to guide professionals in the practical and transformative application of the methodology, thereby contributing to the holistic development of the young people with whom they work.
Would you like to enroll in the course or learn more about other training options?
✉️ Write to us and we’ll tell you all about it!
We make all of Tomillo’s resources and professionals available to young people. We recognize the multidimensional reality of each individual, addressing areas such as family, housing, social capital, and health. We build employment skills while working in tandem with the family and community, fostering active and sustainable participation.
Recognizing the negative experiences of the traditional educational system, we have adopted an active and experiential approach. We have moved away from lecture-style classes and assessment based on assignments and exams. We design activities that foster the development of skills through practice and reflection. We emphasize learning spaces, favoring environments similar to coworking spaces, promoting collaboration and diversity of interests among young people, as well as their active participation in assessment processes.
We are not alone on this journey. We actively create opportunities for collaboration with various key stakeholders, including:
Natural Environment: We connect with family, friends, and the organizations they are involved with.
Professionals and Volunteers: We collaborate with social organizations, social services, government agencies, businesses, and educational institutions.
We encourage companies in key sectors to participate in training activities both inside and outside the classroom, fostering a strong connection between educational pathways and workplace contexts.
Through these connections, we expand our impact, facilitate exchange and decision-making, and work to connect young people with the support network around them, broadening their reach.
At the Tomillo Foundation, we view vocational guidance as a process of socio-educational support that helps individuals discover and appreciate who they are, what they’re like, and where they want to go. We view vocations as a fundamental driving force in decision-making.
Continue readingSharing innovative approaches to helping socially vulnerable youth enter the workforce.
Orienta+ is a project of the Tomillo Foundation funded by the Department of Family, Youth, and Social Policy of the Community of Madrid.
Basic Vocational Education is the educational stage with the highest dropout rate in the entire system: 35% of enrolled students drop out before completing their first year.
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Basic Vocational Education is the educational stage with the highest dropout rate in the entire system: 35% of enrolled students drop out before completing their first year.
Continue readingWe provide effective tools and methodologies to promote learning and academic success.
One such methodology is Service-Learning (APS), an educational approach that combines learning and community service within a single project.
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