Maria João Carreiro received OECD technicians as part of Talent Booster Mechanism - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Juventude, Habitação e Emprego

Maria João Carreiro received a team of technicians from the OECD as part of the Talent Booster Mechanism, whose application, promoted by the Regional Secretariat for Youth, Housing and Employment, through the Regional Directorate for Vocational Qualification and Employment, was approved in March.

According to the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment, this first meeting in the Azores, which was attended by the Regional Director for Vocational Training and Employment, Renato Medeiros, served as an opportunity for the OECD experts to collect information and evidence on the impact of demographic change in the Azores.

During their visit to the islands of São Miguel and Pico, the experts also met with leaders of the Regional Public Administration and Central Public Administration, local authorities, the University of the Azores, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ponta Delgada, the Association of Municipalities of the Autonomous Region of the Azores (AMRAA), and other private for-profit and non-profit organisations.

During the week-long mission, the technicians also visited local companies and met with about 50 people on the two islands. 

The Talent Booster Mechanism is an initiative of the European Commission to support European regions in training, attracting and maintaining talent in the face of an accelerating decline in the working-age population.

This mechanism will allow the Region to benefit from detailed analyses, policy recommendations and action plans tailored to address specific demographic and territorial challenges through the support and expert advice of the OECD.

The themes will focus on land use and spatial planning, infrastructure needs, service provision, governance levels, regional finances, local employment trends, and policies to maintain and reintegrate workers, among others.

The Mechanism was launched in April this year and will run until May 2025.

Among the 10 European regions selected by a committee of experts from the European Commission to receive this support are, in addition to the Azores, the Northern Region of Portugal, Nord-Vest (Romania), Castilla y León and Extremadura (Spain), Campania (Italy), Centre-Val de Loire (France), Pohjois-Savo (Finland), Thessaly (Greece) and Banská Bystrica (Slovak Republic).