Youth policies are essential for shaping "collective future" of the Azores, highlights José Manuel Bolieiro - Communication

Presidência do Governo Regional

The President of the Regional Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, met today with dozens of young Azoreans about the ‘+Youth’ package, pointing out that youth public policies are fundamental to shaping the "collective future" of the Azores.

"We have a holistic vision [of public policies] in which youth is naturally integrated," he said, speaking at the session held at In Wave - Ribeira Grande Business Incubator, and broadcast live on the Regional Government's social networks.

Before presenting the achievements already guaranteed by the coalition to Azorean young people and listing the ‘+ Youth’ package measures, José Manuel Bolieiro recalled that ‘educational success is an opportunity for success in life,’ defending the promotion of an "approach to fostering success" rather than the negativity of talking about "fighting failure."

Recalling that, with the coalition, the Legal Framework for Youth Policies, which had remained unchanged for 15 years, was finally revised, José Manuel Bolieiro underlined the broadening of the areas of action in youth policies and the "more rights guaranteed" to youth organisations.

Youth organisations have also received permanent budget boosts - in 2019 they stood at 83 thousand Euros, increasing to 130 thousand Euros this year - when the employed population in the Azores is the highest it has ever been, with about 119 thousand Azoreans in employment.

Under the CONTRATAR measure, a support measure for hiring created in 2021, 5,250 workers have been placed on the labour market, with 85.9% on contracts of indefinite duration and 56% being young people aged 30 or under.

Today's initiative in Ribeira Grande was "exceptionally well attended by young people and youth associations," said the President of the Government, who also praised the "multitude of ideas" that "add value" and were brought up for debate in the dialogue between young people and the President.

Approved by the Council of the Government last week and published today in the Official Journal, the "+ Youth" programme is in line with the XIV Programme of the Regional Government regarding the priority of training young Azoreans and their professional and social stability.

The approved measures, presented today by the President of the Government, represent a comprehensive and sustained strategy to ensure favourable conditions for the establishment of qualified young people and the attraction of talent to the Region, contributing to increasing the competitiveness and productivity of regional companies.

The measures comprise, for example, the payment of two round trips per year between the student's place of residence in the Region and the school establishment, either in the Azores, the Autonomous Region of Madeira or in Mainland Portugal.

It also includes the allocation of a "book voucher" amounting to 100 euros for young people who reach the age of majority, the creation of a Support Office for Displaced Students and a mechanism for the simplified registration of young people on an employability database promoting recruitment opportunities from companies and the social sector. 

The return of the amount equivalent to tuition fees and Personal Income Tax for all young people who commit to working in the Azores for 5 years, up to 35, is another measure included in the package.

The "+Youth" will also activate a system for students enrolled in a Higher Education Institution and studying outside the Region, who will only pay the maximum amount provided for, within the scope of the social mobility aid, per round trip to Mainland Portugal and the Autonomous Region of Madeira, without the need to request subsequent reimbursements.