72 Copyright © 2011, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Chapter 4 INTRODUCTION Among the components of innovative curricula in Higher Education courses, practical stages at companies are considered all over the world as one of the most wanted requirements sought by employers. This is especially important for engi- neering graduates wishing to compete in a global labour market. These practical stages may take different forms and the way in which they are incorporated to curricula varies widely not only from country to country but also within the same national bound- aries. These different forms can be in general referred to as work integrated learning (WIL). In this chapter we consider Industrial Training (IT) Urbano Dominguez Universidad de Valladolid, Spain Jesus Magdaleno Universidad de Valladolid, Spain Industrial Training in Engineering Education in Spain ABSTRACT Practical training in companies has been recognized for many years as an important component of the education of new engineering graduates all over the world. The format used to provide this educa- tion to students varies widely not only across national boundaries, but also within each country. This chapter deals frst with the state of industrial training in engineering education in Spain, both in the old engineering degrees and in the new ones, following the European higher education area require- ments, which are now in the process of introduction. An analysis is also carried out on the evaluation and assessment of industrial training when this activity is a part of frst cycle engineering curricula, and the role played by the tutor is discussed. Finally, some weak points of industrial training in Spanish curricula are discussed, as well as some proposals to overcome that situation and to move towards a global approach of industrial training in engineering education. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60960-547-6.ch004