Castilla-La Mancha approves the pharmaceutical and biotechnological Vocational Training curriculum

Decree 52/2026, of September 23, establishes the curriculum for the higher vocational training cycle corresponding to the title of Higher Technician in the Manufacture of Pharmaceutical, Biotechnological, and Related Products and the offers for grades C, B, and A in Castilla-La Mancha. The regulation, approved by the Governing Council upon the proposal of the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports, is published in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha (DOCM) no. 188, of September 30, 2026, with the reference [2026/6962]. It shall enter into force on the day following its publication.

The decree develops, within the regional scope, Royal Decree 832/2014, of October 3, which sets the minimum teachings of the title, and Royal Decree 209/2025, of March 18, which regulates grades A, B, and C of Vocational Training for the Chemical professional family, among others. It is structured into thirteen articles, two additional provisions, four final provisions, and eight annexes, and modifies annexes IA-2.4º and IIA-2.4º of Decree 80/2024, of November 5.

During the processing, the Social Dialogue Council and the Sectoral Education Board were consulted, and opinions were issued by the School Council of Castilla-La Mancha and the Vocational Training Council of Castilla-La Mancha; a report was also obtained from the Legal Office of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha and the Consultative Council was heard. The text is signed by President Emiliano García-Page Sánchez and Councilor Amador Pastor Noheda, and was issued in Toledo on September 23, 2026.

A 2,000-hour title in the Chemical family

The cycle is identified with 2,000 hours, Higher Vocational Training level, Chemical professional family, reference P-5.5.4 in the International Standard Classification of Education and level 5A of the Spanish Qualifications Framework. Those who successfully complete the teachings will obtain the title of Higher Technician in the Manufacture of Pharmaceutical, Biotechnological, and Related Products.

The professional modules and their hourly load are as follows:

• 1387 Organization and management of the manufacture of pharmaceutical, biotechnological, and related products: 130 hours.
• 1388 Quality control of pharmaceutical, biotechnological, and related products: 204 hours.
• 1389 Basic operations in the pharmaceutical, biotechnological, and related industries: 204 hours.
• 1390 Principles of biotechnology: 138 hours.
• 1391 Safety in the pharmaceutical, biotechnological, and related industries: 73 hours.
• 1392 Auxiliary areas and services in the pharmaceutical, biotechnological, and related industries: 110 hours.
• 1393 Biotechnological production techniques: 200 hours.
• 1394 Pharmaceutical and related production techniques: 200 hours.
• 1395 Regulation and control in the pharmaceutical, biotechnological, and related industries: 160 hours.
• 1396 Packaging and storage of pharmaceutical, biotechnological, and related products: 82 hours.
• 0191 Electromechanical maintenance in process industries: 74 hours.
• 1397 Intermodular project: 55 hours, distributed between the two courses.
• 0179 Professional English, 1709 and 1710 Personal itinerary for employability, 1708 Sustainability applied to the production system, and 1665 Digitalization applied to productive sectors.
• Optional module of 80 hours in the second course, or two of 40 hours.

Company training and offering in three courses

Training in a company or equivalent organization will be considered curricular training and shall in no case be understood as internships. Generally, between 500 and 580 hours of the total cycle will be allocated, with a duration of between 70 and 120 hours in the first course.

Exceptionally, and subject to prior authorization from the competent educational department, the cycle may be offered distributed over three academic courses. Centers will also have pedagogical autonomy to adapt the programming and methodologies, and the decree regulates the bilingual nature of the cycles.

Grades C, B, and A: certificates and accreditations

Article 23 of Royal Decree 209/2025, of March 18, links two professional certificates to the degree, whose durations in Castilla-La Mancha are fixed by the decree:

• QUI_C_006_5B Organization and control of the pharmaceutical, biotechnological, and related industries: 1,018 hours.
• QUI_C_007_5B Packaging, quality, and safety in the pharmaceutical, biotechnological, and related industries: 787 hours.

The Grade B offering is structured into competence certificates (968 and 737 hours, respectively) and Grade A into partial competence accreditations. Professional certificates will be dual in nature and will include a period of company training.

Implementation calendar

The curriculum will be implemented in all authorized centers of the autonomous community starting from the 2026/27 school year, according to this calendar:

• 2026/2027 academic year: professional modules of the first year.
• 2027/2028 academic year: professional modules of the second year.
• 2028/2029 academic year: third year, in the exceptional case of the offer being spread over three academic years.

The decree responds to the need to adapt the training offer to the demands of the regional productive sector and to expand the Vocational Training offer. Graduates will carry out their activity in pharmaceutical, biotechnological, and related companies, whether public or private, in areas of production and packaging of medicines, medical devices, cosmetics, and certain food products, as well as in the obtaining of biotechnological products. For the centers, teachers, and Vocational Training students of the region, the regulation provides a stable framework of 2,000 hours and a certain implementation calendar; for the pharmaceutical and biotechnological fabric, the incorporation of profiles trained according to the new curriculum and the offers of grades C, B, and A.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha (DOCM), no. 188, of September 30, 2026, section I. General Provisions, page 33188 (official reference: 2026/6962).