Vocational education is more modern, better qualified and more future-oriented - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Juventude, Habitação e Emprego

Vocational school education is “more modern, better qualified and future-oriented,” stated the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment, Maria João Carreiro, highlighting the €2.5 million investment under the RRP and the Regional Budget in modernising facilities to support high-quality practical training and creating motivating learning environments.

“Whilst others have limited themselves to merely managing the Vocational Education and Training system, we have chosen to reform it, enhance it and bring it closer to young people and businesses,” she stated during the session marking the 30th anniversary of the São Jorge Island Vocational School.

In her speech, the government official stated that the work being carried out by the PSD/CDS-PP/PPM coalition government, in close dialogue and coordination with vocational schools, is providing “the best collective responses to the present and future needs of a strategic sector” for the Region.

“When there is vision, investment and purpose, vocational education moves forward, evolves and earns prestige. Vocational education in the Region is today more dynamic, more attractive and better prepared to continue ensuring that the Azores have the talent and qualifications needed to face challenges,” stated the Regional Secretary.

Vocational schools now have more students and more courses than in 2021.

Furthermore, they are now held in higher regard by young people, who are increasingly considering vocational education as their first choice at an ever-earlier age, rather than as a fallback option, as well as by parents and guardians, who now have greater confidence in the training programmes provided by vocational schools, she noted.

“There are those who accuse us of overconfidence. For us, the Regional Government, rejecting overconfidence is an act of responsibility; acknowledging progress is a duty of honesty. Some say that we present today as a great achievement what we largely received as a legacy, when, in fact, the legacy we received was a heavy one, difficult and marked by many unresolved problems,” she recalled.

In 2021, faced with the lack of a clear and ambitious vision for Vocational education in the Region, the Regional Government presented the Regional Agenda for Vocational Qualifications, a strategic proposal to place vocational education and training at the heart of the responses to the social, economic and demographic challenges in the Azores.

“In light of the financial penalties that vocational schools were facing due to student dropouts, as a result of the funding model agreed by socialist governments, we introduced an unprecedented compensation scheme for all vocational schools, representing a public investment of €1.3 million across the Region, which provided financial relief for these certified training providers,” she noted.

Maria João Carreiro emphasised that challenges remain, particularly in terms of aligning training provision with the needs of the economy, as well as training for the workforce, both employed and unemployed, calling for closer coordination between companies and certified training providers to design bespoke training programmes.

The Regional Secretary congratulated the “excellent work” of the São Jorge Island Vocational School, one of the “strongest institutions on the island,” whose journey “inspires pride for the work achieved and the perseverance shown.” She highlighted the school’s willingness and ability to embrace innovation and take on challenges for the benefit of trainees and the regional economy.