LINARES HIGHER POLYTECHNIC SCHOOL

Linares Higher Polytechnic School, recipient of the Medal of Andalusia, is the product of a merger in 1976 between two emblematic schools in Linares: the Mining School and the Industrial School. These schools had played an important role in providing technical and cultural education in the city for many years; following the merger, the range of academic programmes on offer was extended to include courses on Telecommunications and Civil Engineering.

I. LINARES MINING SCHOOL
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Linares Mining School was created by Royal Decree on 18 November 1892, following a proposal by the Minister for Internal Development, Aureliano Linares Rivas, to provide training for mine foremen and furnace melters at a site supplied by the City Council, which covered the school’s maintenance costs.

Teaching was delivered by engineers from the Mining Corps, the most senior of whom was appointed as deputy director, while the position of director was held by the Director of the Special School for Mining Engineers in Madrid. The first deputy director during the 1893-94 academic year was Manuel Rey Pontes. He was succeeded the following year by Cecilio López Montes, who successfully promoted and consolidated mining studies in the city. The school’s name was changed to the School of Technical Assistants for Mines and Metallurgical Plants by Royal Decree on 30 November 1914, prompting an expansion of the subjects studied. It was renamed again under the Royal Decree of 17 July 1925, when it came to be known as the School of Technical Foremen for Mines and Metallurgical Plants, and under the Ministerial Order of 29 November 1951, which transformed it into the School of Technicians for Mines and Minerallurgical and Metallurgical Plants. The programmes and different levels on offer were extended and the school was classified as an Intermediate Technical Training School. In October 1960, new legislation was brought in and the school was renamed the Industrial School for Mines and Minerallurgical and Metallurgical Plants. Its study programmes were standardised to match those offered by all other Intermediate Training Schools. Two specialisations were assigned to the school: Mining and Electrical Installations in Mines and Plants. Under the Law on the Reorganisation of Technical Education, the institution was renamed the School of Mining Technical Engineering on 1 October 1965. Teaching was centred on the specialisations of Mining Exploitation and Metallurgy, with study programmes comprising a preparatory year, a year of general teaching, and a second and third year for each specialisation. In 1972, via Decree 1377/1972 of 10 May, the school was incorporated into the University of Granada and renamed the University School of Mining Technical Engineering. It began to deliver degree programmes in the specialisations that were already on offer.

LOCATION
Throughout the school’s history, it was dogged by serious issues in finding a suitable location and was housed in several different buildings over the years. When it was created, the school was situated at the former courthouse, which has since been restored to its original purpose. However, when an earthquake struck Linares in 1951, the building was damaged and the City Council provided part of La Victoria School in Calle Jaén on a temporary basis so that teaching could continue, while the offices of the secretary and director were set up in the old Casa de Socorro building on Calle Sagasta.

Given the large numbers of students and insufficient size of the premises, the City Council and the school’s director applied for permission from the Ministry to construct a new building on land donated by the Council. Work on the new building was carried out by the Ministry of National Education and began in March 1957. On 6 August 1959, once the works were complete, the school moved into the new building on Calle Sagunto, which comprised three floors used mostly for classrooms. Due to the growing complexity of mining and metallurgy techniques and the need for more appropriate premises for practical teaching, an application was submitted to extend the school in 1966. On 30 December 1973, a new three-storey building adjoining the earlier building was built to house the workshops and laboratories for the different specialisations. The building still stands to this day and continues to form part of the Higher Polytechnic School.

STUDENTS When it was first created, the school’s main aim was to train technicians for the mining and metallurgy industry and, until the 1940s, most of the students combined their studies with work in mines and plants. At that time, around 100 students were enrolled at the school. As a result of the huge demand for technicians from mining and metallurgy areas around the country, student numbers grew significantly. Alongside the students who worked in the sector, others who had completed their Baccalaureate also opted for this type of training due to the excellent employment opportunities that it offered. These students came from far and wide to study at the school: as well as students from Linares and the province of Jaén, others came from the provinces of Almeria, Leon and Asturias, which all had a lengthy mining tradition, as well as from Granada, Malaga, Madrid and central Spain, and many other parts of Spain.

II. LINARES INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Linares Higher School of Industrial Arts was founded by Royal Decree on 16 July 1910 and was located in an old building on Calle Zambrana belonging to the City Council, known as Zambrana Palace, which still exists to this day. This Royal Decree was the product of a lengthy process involving local industry and mining representatives that was led by the City Council, which was chaired at that time by José María Yanguas Jiménez. The process was facilitated by precious support from Julio Burell y Cuéllar, then Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Art.

On 16 October 1910, Linares Higher School of Industrial Arts was inaugurated in a formal sitting attended by all members of the City Council. The school’s first director was Enrique Bautista Arista.
Under the Organic Law on Industrial Schools of 16 December 1910, the school was reclassified as an Industrial School, offering courses in Mechanics, Chemistry, Electricity and Surveying. The Decree of 22 July 1942 changed the school’s name again: the new School of Industrial Technicians offered specialisations in Electricity and Mechanics. Under the Law on the Reorganisation of Technical Education, the institution was renamed the School of Industrial Technical Engineering on 1 October 1965. Teaching was centred on the specialisations of Electricity and Mechanics.

In 1972, via Decree 1377/1972 of 10 May, the school was incorporated into the University of Granada and renamed the University School of Industrial Technical Engineering. In the 1972/73 academic year, it began to deliver degree programmes in the specialisations that were already on offer.

LOCATION
From its creation, Linares Higher School of Industrial Arts was located in an old building known as Zambrana Palace that was donated by the City Council.
In 1940, it moved to a building at the intersection between Calle Daoíz and Calle Santa Engracia. However, given the large numbers of students and the inadequate size of the building, work began on a new building on Calle Sagunto and was completed on 24 June 1949. The building remains to this day, forming part of Linares Higher Polytechnic School alongside the building that once housed the Mining School.

STUDENTS
Student numbers fluctuated over the years to reflect local and national demand for industrial technicians. As a result of the increase in mining and industrial activity from the 1940s to the 1970s, student numbers rose considerably. At the national level, the excellent preparation and training acquired by students at our school from teachers occupying positions of responsibility in different industrial sectors enhanced the institution’s reputation.

III. LINARES POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY SCHOOL
The school was created by combining the University Schools of Industrial Technical Engineering and Mining Technical Engineering and founded via Royal Decree on 18 June 1976 (BOE 9-8-76). This decree added another two specialisations, one industrial and one in mining, which were taught alongside the other Technical Engineering courses: Electricity, Mechanics, Mining Exploitation, Metallurgy, Industrial Chemistry, and Mine Surveying and Prospecting.
Law 5/1993 of 1 July 1993 created the University of Jaén and Linares Polytechnic University School, by then 100 years old, became part of the university. Two new courses in high demand in modern-day society were added to the list of study programmes at the school: Technical Engineering in Telecommunications in the Telematics specialisation, which began in 1993/94, and Technical Engineering in Mines in the Energy, Fuel & Explosive Resources specialisation, which began in 1994/95.

IV. LINARES HIGHER POLYTECHNIC SCHOOL
The Official Gazette of the Andalusian Regional Government of 15 July 2005 publicised the transformation of the Polytechnic University School into the Linares Higher Polytechnic School and the introduction of the Telecommunications Engineering courses.

V. INTRODUCTION OF DEGREE COURSES
In July 2010, the National Quality Evaluation Agency (ANECA) verified the degrees that were to be added to the school’s study programme from 2010/11. These were:

- Degree in Mining Technology Engineering
- Degree in Energy Resource Engineering
- Degree in Electrical Engineering
- Degree in Mechanical Engineering
- Degree in Industrial Chemistry Engineering - Degree in Telecommunications Engineering - Degree in Telecommunications Technology Engineering
- Degree in Civil Engineering.

VI. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS
In 2012, Linares Higher Polytechnic School moved to the newly built Science & Technology Campus in Linares.

VII. AWARDS
In 1979, Linares City Council awarded the city’s Gold Medal to Linares Polytechnic University School. Under Decree 94/1996 of 23 February (BOJA, 7 March 1996) and “in acknowledgement of the work that the centre has been conducting for more than 100 years to train technicians who bring prestige to our institution from all over Spain”, the Andalusian Regional Government awarded the school the Medal of Andalusia.
In 1999, Casa de Jaén in Granada awarded Linares Polytechnic University School with a medal for its educational work. In 2000, Ideal newspaper awarded the IDEAL 2000 award to Linares Polytechnic University School.

In 2010, coinciding with the Centenary of Industrial Education at EPS Linares, the Chamber of Commerce of Linares awarded the Special Jury Prize to the school’s industrial training programmes as part of the Chamber Awards.