Regional Government reinforces programming training to attract companies for "Terceira Tech Island"
The Vice-President of the Government announced that the Azorean Government will reinforce the commitment to support intensive training in programming with the aim of covering more than one hundred graduates in the short-term under the "Terceira Tech Island" project; it includes the installation of companies in Praia da Vitória.
"It is fundamental to train human resources on the island so they can be programmers and this training, as it is proven, is not compatible with the traditional model," said Sérgio Ávila, who spoke on the last day of the first programming course promoted by the Code Academy in the Azores.
The government emphasised that these courses, being intensive and "very demanding", are certified by the companies that seek these human resources in an area that still needs approximately 50 thousand programmers nationwide. In this context, he considered that programmers with specific training are decisive for the installation of companies in this area.
"The success of this investment is evidenced by the fact that a group of international and national companies - which we hope will be installed here - has already established contacts and assessed the first 20 trainees who finish their training today," Sergio Ávila said, alluding to the "pioneers" of this project.
The next course starts in April and will be attended by a further 40 trainees. The Vice-President stressed that the aim is "to support the opening of the maximum number of courses, according to market demands and the availability of trainees with the requirements to overcome this challenge."
In this regard, the Vice-President revealed that the Government of the Azores will create the "Terceira Tech Island Training Valley."
The "Third Tech Island" project was created under PREIT - Economic Recovery and Revitalisation Plan for Terceira Island to enhance the competitive advantages that the island and the Region can offer in the development of information technologies, through the intensive training of human resources in programming and the creation of conditions to attract private investment in this sector.
In the context of this project, the Regional Government has decided to establish six primary conditions to attract companies: fiscal schemes; incentive systems, provision of facilities for the installation of companies with the conversion of the school complex and adjacent neighbourhoods in Lajes, provision of housing for workers, training of junior programmers and the recruitment of senior programmers.
The first programming course promoted by the Regional Government in the Azores in partnership with the national startup Code Academy lasted 14 weeks. Applicants were selected through a rigorous process by the Code Academy team.