Regional Government reinforces investment in integration of young people into the labour market
The Vice-President of the Government announced in Ponta Delgada the opening of 53 new vocational training courses, representing a "reinforcement of the 17.5 million-Euro investment." In this regard, he highlighted the "very satisfactory" results of employability, namely among young people who enrolled in traineeship programmes.
"We are going to open 53 new courses in the next school year, 37 of which will be under initial vocational training and the remaining 16 under Reativar courses," announced Sérgio Ávila. According to him, the reinforcement of the 17.5 million-Euro investment in training "will provide 1,060 Azoreans with the possibility of improving their qualifications in terms of vocational training."
At the delivery ceremony of medals to the trainees distinguished at the 43rd WorldSkills Portugal - National Skills Championship, the government official revealed that the new courses, which start very soon, are mostly "aimed at the tourism sector, but also at the construction and agriculture sectors." They correspond to the current needs of the market.
The Vice-President emphasised the quality of young people, the effort of teachers and the performance of schools, noting "the contribution, investment and strong commitment" that the Regional Government has made in vocational training.
"Over the last four years, we have invested 85 million Euros in vocational education, which allowed 8,303 young Azoreans to attend vocational training courses," stressed Sérgio Ávila, who ensured that the Government's investment goes beyond vocational training.
"At the moment, there are 1,708 young people in the Azores enrolled in "Estagiar L" and "Estagiar T" traineeship programmes," said the government official.
In his speech, the Vice-President emphasised that the Government of the Azores "has channelled a significant part of its resources to ensure that young people, after their professional training, are integrated into the labour market," highlighting the "very satisfactory" results in terms of their employability.
"Last year, after completing 'Estagiar L' programme, 56 percent of young people managed to find a job. Regarding 'Estagiar T' programme, the results were still slightly better, as 57 percent of participants managed to find a job within six months," revealed the government official.
Regarding PIIE - Professional Integration Programme for "Estagiar L" and "Estagiar T" Trainees, Sérgio Ávila mentioned that the Government has already supported the recruitment of 1,803 young people, through this programme, after the completion of traineeships. According to him, about "80 percent have managed to maintain their jobs after the supported contract period, which is an extremely relevant."