The member countries of the European Union have begun to implement educational laws that adapt vocational training to the new guidelines in order to achieve the objectives proposed by Europe. The European Commission has made vocational training a cornerstone of the common policy. In this regard, the Committee on the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Social Fund Plus in Council Recommendation 2020/C417/01 specifies that it seeks to “ensure better matching of education and training systems to the labour market and equal access to lifelong learning opportunities for all, through upskilling and retraining pathways.”
THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING MODEL IN PORTUGAL
In Portugal, Vocational Training aims to guarantee the right to quality and equal education. VET education programmes encompass general, scientific, technological and work-based training. Based on this, vocational education in Portugal is divided into three levels (secondary, post-secondary, and higher).
Objectives
Promote quality Vocational Training.
Provide students with the skills needed to support the transition to a digital and greener economy.
Encourage collaboration with the business world.
Increase the percentage of students in VET.
Levels
Secondary level
It is optional to secondary academic education.
Taking these courses is optional and you can access them after completing the 9 years of basic education. The aim of these courses is to prepare you for access to the labour market or higher education courses.
These courses include:
- Professional courses. They last for 3 years and train you to access the labor market. In addition, these courses include an in-company hands-on training module.
- Apprentice system. These courses are of different lengths for people between 15 and 25 years old whose training offer covers various fields of employment (electricity, commerce, finance…). To take these courses, you must sign a contract with the school and the company.
- Education and Training Courses. They are short courses, from 125 to 276 hours for people over 15 years old.
- Specialized art courses. These are three-year courses that offer you training in visual and audiovisual arts.
- Technology courses. 3-year Professional Courses that offer technical, scientific and technological training.
Post-secondary level
They are technological specialization courses that last 1 year or 1 year and a half that offer specialized training for access to the labor market. For this reason, they have internships in companies.
If you take these courses you will obtain a diploma of technological specialization.
Higher level (non-tertiary)
These are 2-year professional courses with which you will obtain the title of Higher Professional Technician (it is not a university degree).