Cantabria renames the Integrated Vocational Training Center Number 1 of Santander

The Governing Council of Cantabria has approved Decree 70/2026, of October 1, which modifies Decree 76/2006, of June 22, creating the Integrated Vocational Training Center Number 1 of Santander. The new wording changes the name of the center, which will now be called the “Elena García Armada” Integrated Vocational Training Center. The regulation is published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria (BOC) No. 194, of October 8, 2026, and will take effect the day following its publication.

A name change backed by the center

The center was established in 2006 as the first reference Integrated Center for Vocational Training in Cantabria, through Decree 76/2006, of June 22 (BOC 30-6-06). According to its second additional provision, the center itself requested the change of name upon the proposal of the Center’s Social Council, following an agreement by the Technical Coordination Commission and the Faculty of teachers.

The Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Universities assessed and authorized the change with the aim of providing the center with an identifying name, taking into account criteria such as that it be named after a person with a remarkable personal and professional trajectory linked to the professional families taught at the center and to Cantabria.

The legal framework for the decision consists of Royal Decree 1558/2005, of December 23, which regulates the basic requirements for Integrated Vocational Training Centers; Royal Decree 2671/1998, of December 11, on the transfer of functions and services regarding non-university education; Decree 20/2013, of April 25, which regulates these centers in Cantabria, and Organic Law 8/1985, of July 3, regulating the Right to Education.

Who is Elena García Armada

The person whose name the center now incorporates is Elena García Armada, a doctor of industrial engineering who is part of the Scientific Researcher Scales of the CSIC. Her research training includes stays at internationally prestigious centers:

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
• Laboratoire d’Automatique de Grenoble (ENSIEG).

The results of her research are cited in the “Springer Handbook of Robotics” (2008 ed.). Among her recognitions are:

• Beato de Liébana International Cohesion Award in its 2021 edition, granted by the Government of Cantabria for her research trajectory and her contribution to the development of bionic exoskeletons.
• European Inventor Award, received in 2022.
• Investiture as a doctor honoris causa by the National University of Distance Education on July 9, 2026.

She is also the founder and president of Marsi Bionics, S. L., a company that has developed the world’s first pediatric exoskeleton designed to help children with neuromuscular pathologies and cerebral palsy walk.

Connection with the center’s educational offer

The relationship between the chosen name and the teachings provided by the center is derived from its educational offer, specifically the Higher Level vocational training cycles in:

• Clinical Electromedicine.
• Electrotechnical Systems.
• Electrical and Automated Systems.

The sole article of the regulation modifies Article 1, section 1, of Decree 76/2006, which is rewritten with the following identifying data of the center:

• Name: Centro Integrado de Formación Profesional “Elena García Armada”.
• Code: 39018913.
• Address: C/ Francisco Rivas Moreno s/n.
• Locality: Santander - 39011.
• Owner: Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Universities of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria.

Processing and entry into force

The decree is approved at the proposal of the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Universities, following a report from the Ministry of Industry, Employment, Innovation and Trade, and having informed the Vocational Training Council of Cantabria, after the deliberation of the Governing Council of Cantabria in its meeting on October 1, 2026.

The first final provision authorizes the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Universities to issue as many provisions as necessary for the execution and development of the decree. The second final provision sets its effectiveness for the day following its publication in the Official Gazette of Cantabria. The text appears signed in Santander, on October 1, 2026, by the president of the Government of Cantabria, María José Sáenz de Buruaga Gómez, and by the minister of Education, Vocational Training and Universities, Sergio Silva Fernández.

The change of name affects the official identity of the main integrated Vocational Training center of Cantabria, a regional benchmark in this educational stage. From now on, degrees, calls, enrollments, and administrative communications from the center must identify it as Centro Integrado de Formación Profesional “Elena García Armada”, with the code 39018913, which necessitates updating the signage, documentation, and official records of the center.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, no. 194, of October 8, 2026, section 7.5 Miscellaneous (Governing Council), pp. 51096-51098 (official reference: CVE-2026-7820).