Regional Government approves more than 100 training programmes for employed and unemployed - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Juventude, Habitação e Emprego

The Regional Secretariat for Youth, Housing and Employment, through the Regional Directorate for Vocational Training and Employment, has approved more than a hundred intensive and short-term training courses proposed by Vocational Schools and Public Training Institutes as part of the Qualifica.IN measure under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP).

The approved courses include Hospitality and Catering, Tourism and Leisure, Agricultural and Animal Production, Health, Construction and Civil Engineering, Electronics and Automation, Food Industries, Transport Services, Computer Science, Social Work and Guidance.

More than 2,250 vacancies were approved at MEP - Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Ponta Delgada Vocational School, Vila Franca do Campo Vocational School, Monsenhor João Maurício de Amaral Ferreira Vocational Schoool - Povoação, Azores Training Centre and Azores Maritime School. Almost 90% of these vacancies are for employed people.

Training within the scope of Qualifica.IN, aimed at employed and unemployed people aged 18 or over, can be conducted face-to-face or at a distance and is due to take place by April 30, 2025. Each entity is responsible for defining the application schedule, selecting trainees, and starting courses.

Those interested in attending the training courses now approved and available for consultation at certificar.azores.gov.pt should contact the respective schools and institutes directly. 

Unemployed trainees will receive a grant of up to the maximum monthly amount of the Social Support Index (IAS).

Maria João Carreiro, Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment, welcomed that vocational schools have joined a "measure aimed at qualifying, retraining the working population, both employed and unemployed." She also praised the "diversity of possibilities in the Region for training and qualifying workers in a wide range of areas."

"The Regional Government is responsible for creating the tools and ensuring the necessary funding, in this case within the scope of the RRP, to implement training and qualification measures. It is up to vocational schools to ensure that the courses and training activities are well organised, which can and should be designed in close cooperation with companies and employers," she explained.

In this regard, the Regional Secretary maintains the challenge for companies and industry, on the one hand, and vocational schools and public institutes, on the other, to increasingly work in dialogue to create training tailored to the needs of the labour market. She pointed out that this coordination is "fundamental" for keeping and attracting qualified workers who will certainly contribute to the productivity of companies and employers. 

Vocational schools and organisations promoting Qualifica.IN will receive financial support up to a maximum of 24 thousand Euros for each training course, with an investment of more than 500 thousand Euros approved at this stage, fully funded under the RRP.