Beginning of 901 traineeships for young Azoreans demonstrates success of "Estagiar" Programme, says Sérgio Ávila
The Vice-President of the Government announced in Angra do Heroísmo that the first phase of "Estagiar L" and "Estagiar T" programmes will begin on October 01. A total of 901 trainees were admitted in this year's edition.
Sérgio Ávila also revealed that among the trainees admitted to regional companies and institutions, 378 are university graduates or postgraduate and 523 are young people who hold a vocational training degree.
"The support to the integration of young people into the labour market and the maintenance of young people in the Region are two fundamental pillars in the development strategy defined by the Azorean Government," said the government official. According to him, the Government "regards these figures with satisfaction for the success of a measure that has registered a wide adherence."
"Not only Azorean young people have shown their interest in benefiting from the support measures provided through the "Estagiar" Programme - which is a first and smooth experience in the labour world - but also our entrepreneurs have demonstrated a remarkable receptivity, welcoming these young people into their companies," added the Vice-President of the Government.
Sérgio Ávila stressed that the receptivity shown by companies "has had a very positive impact on the employability of young trainees," revealing that 63.1% of trainees were hired within the six months after the completion of the traineeship and 43.1% were hired immediately following the completion of their traineeships.
"This is yet another indicator that justifies the continued commitment of the Government in "Estagiar." This programme has turned the Region into an example in the protection of young people in their transition to the labour market," the government official stressed, adding that "there is no other traineeship programme in the country that allocates a financial compensation of 720 Euros during the traineeship period."
Sérgio Ávila also announced that "in order to support the integration of these 901 young Azoreans into the labour market and, thus, contribute to the entertainment of young graduates in the Azores, the Government will allocate 9.1 million Euros to these new traineeships that are about to start."
The Vice President also mentioned the amendments introduced to improve the "Estagiar" Programme, "such as the case of extension of traineeship periods, which allows companies to follow up their trainees for some time. This will also help them to absorb new members for their staffs."
Hence, the "Estagiar L" will have a maximum duration of two years on all the islands, except for S. Miguel, where the maximum duration was also increased to 18 months. In turn, the "Estagiar T" has been extended to a maximum period of 18 months on all islands.
For Sérgio Ávila, this represents a "significant strengthening of employment promotion policies in the Region," which also contributes to the development of each of island.
According to the Vice-President of the Government, the "Estagiar" Programme "complements and enhances the policies designed to promote the competitiveness of regional companies and the employability of Azoreans," which have led the Government to invest in them more than four million Euros on a monthly basis.
"We believe that every Euro invested in employment promotion measures is a Euro deposited in the future of the Region," noted Sérgio Ávila.
During the press conference, the Vice-President of the Government also revealed that the enhancement of young graduates' employability after completing their traineeships through the Professional Integration Programme of "Estagiar L" and "Estagiar T" has also been very successful.
"The number of hired trainees is high," said Sérgio Ávila. According to him, this evidences, on the one hand, "the academic and professional quality of the trainees and, on the other hand, the companies' desire to strengthen their staff with new and qualified people."
The government official revealed that, since the entry into force of PIIE, the hiring of 1,036 young graduates after the completion of the traineeship has been supported under this programme. "These results encourage the Government to carry on the chosen path."
"The Government of the Azores wants to help companies boosting their competitiveness in order to achieve higher rates of success," the Vice-President said, adding that the Government "also wants Azorean youngsters at its side" and relies on them "to accomplish the aspiration of making the Azores a better place."