For EFE Escuela, 2021 was a year of transition. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic the previous year meant internships had to be adapted to remote work and the number of interns had to be drastically reduced. On-site work was gradually reestablished during 2021, together with the online model to deal with outbreaks that were frequent throughout the year, which forced the agency to close the newsrooms and classes for the master's degree.

During 2021, international internships were limited to EFE's bureaus in Europe, as non-EU countries continued to severely restrict mobility. In the national bureaus, interns were accepted depending on the situation in each office. Where the entire newsroom was working remotely, there were no interns and they were only accepted in offices where the presence of a tutor to supervise the student's work could be guaranteed.

With respect to Madrid, the internship nerve center, it was also necessary to go department by department and see where interns could be placed, always using a blended system of office work when possible and remote work from home when there was an outbreak.

As in the previous year, EFE Escuela gave priority to interns who were part of the sponsored programs in which EFE was involved, and it was the curricular internship students who were most affected by the reduction in internship places.

During 2021, the total number of students who were placed at EFE was 193 (38 international bureaus + 69 national bureaus + 86 in Madrid) compared to 187 in 2020, the first year of pandemic, and 402 in 2019.

EFE Escuela continued to foster talent through scholarships and other training programs, in collaboration with various entities and universities.