The Government of the Azores will open in November the first Skills Validation and Certification Centre of the Valorizar Network, recently created by the Government.
The announcement was made by the Regional Secretary for Labour and Social Solidarity during the opening ceremony of the new facilities of the Tourism and Hotel School in Ponta Delgada today.
The network will operate in Ponta Delgada, Angra do Heroísmo and Horta with the purpose of certify the professionals, who have acquired experience throughout their life, but do not have professional qualification. Mobile certification teams will that will travel to the remaining islands of the Archipelago will be created, explained Ana Paula Marques.
With this initiative, the Government intends to certify 30 to 40 thousand Azoreans in more than 100 occupations within the next five years.
For the Regional Secretary, with the opening of the new facilities of the Tourism and Hotel School, the Government “takes another step in the creation of structures to qualify the Azoreans in some strategic areas, such as tourism.”
In a total investment of 1.4 million Euros, the renewed building has the capacity to accommodate more than 400 students.
Mentioning the various investments made by the Azorean Government on qualification professional, Ana Paula Marques stressed that “the Government has invested an amount over 220 million Euros since 1998.” The qualified workers in the Azores have increased from 1.4% to 21% and we will expect to reach the 30% goal of Azorean workers with vocational training by 2015.”
According to the Regional Secretariat for Labour and Social Solidarity three thousand youngsters that enter the labour market every year, of which two thousand have attended vocational training courses.
“In a decade the number of workers in private companies increased from 33 thousand to 57 thousand. The annual payroll supported by companies increased from 260 million Euros to 638 million Euros. The average income of an Azorean worker increased 5% in 2008. This significant increase is largely due to the fact that companies are provided with qualified human resources,” stressed the Secretary.
Furthermore, Ana Paula Marques considered that the success of vocational training in the Azores is reflected in the recognition achieved in National, European and International championships, where the Region has been awarded, respected and considered an example to be followed.
Meanwhile, “with the negotiation process of the Pro-Emprego programme, we have doubled the funds for qualification and labour to 240 million Euros,” highlighted the Secretary.
In this context, the Government intends to train 60 thousand Azorean workers in several qualification areas in the next five years.
“The improvement of professional qualification is essential to a better employability and is a key factor for the creation of a quality job,” concluded Ana Paula Marques.