History

An introduction

Emilio Campuzano is a public Vocational Education and Training (VET) school with a long history in its field and a bold vision of the future. The school combines theorical education with practical training and other work-related experiences.

We offer our students an open, comprehensive and quality-driven training experience built on an atmosphere of trust and understanding of their diversity. For that purpose, we use the best material and human resources, enabling our students to maximise their skills and thus become responsible citizens and competent professionals ready to contribute to a more caring society.

The present-day Emilio Campuzano Vocational Education and Training School has its origins in the Bilbao School of Arts and Crafts, founded on 10 February 1879 under the auspices of mayor Pablo de Alzola. The institute was funded by the Biscayan regional council and the Bilbao city government.

It opened in the former San Andrés School location, at the very same spot where the Basque Museum is today, and remained there until the 1910-1911 school year, when the Santos Juanes Hospital was moved from Atxuri to its current location in Basurto, leaving a vacant space.

Arithmetic, Geometry, Line and Figure Drawing were taught initially. Other artistic and professional subjects were introduced later (e.g. Industrial Drawing, Modelling and Carving, Adjustment, Machine Tools, Carpentry, Topography or Trade, among others).

Training for foremen was inaugurated in the 1902-1903 school year, and in 1907-1908 English courses were introduced in night classes.

In 1932, the school was moved to a building belonging to the Biscayan regional council in Etxebarri district and renamed the Bilbao School of Work, Arts and Crafts.

The Graphic Arts department was founded in 1954 under the patronage of a group of businessmen linked to the field. It is worth mentioning the financial and technical support of the Grijelmo Family.

The school was moved back to Atxuri district in 1958. One year later it was renamed Emilio Campuzano Industrial School as a tribute to this former teacher (since 1888) and principle (from 1900 to 1932).

The school underwent several name changes as a result of the successive Education Laws: Emilio Campuzano National Polytechnic Institute (1970), Emilio Campuzano Polytechnic Institute for Vocational Training (1980) and Emilio Campuzano Secondary Education Institute (1992).

In 2010, the school ceased its secondary education offerings and focused on the nineteen Intermediate and Higher Vocational Education and Training courses it currently offers.

Commitment to quality

Being one of the oldest schools in Bilbao, the Emilio Campuzano Vocational Education and Training School is truly devoted to education and progress, acting as a bridge between education and labour markets. An active and innovative leadership committed to the Total Quality Management Model, as well as an ambitious desire for continuous improvement, has earned the school a competitive spirit and the versatility necessary to deliver a top training experience.

Present and future

With the common effort and motivation of our almost 120 staff workers, the development of tools such as Process Management and giving priority to the identification and satisfaction of the needs and expectations of our students, we try to deliver a comprehensive training, both professional and human, to the approximately 1,500 students who annually place their trust in our school, and we do so by educating them for the future while building the present, day by day.