The Regional Director for Labour, Vocational Training and Consumer Defence stated on Wednesday that the reconversion of young unemployed graduates is one of the Regional Government’s priorities, a measure aiming to improve the employability conditions of young graduates, holding a higher education degree, as well as to promote professional qualification in the Azores.  

Rui Bettencourt spoke after visiting a postgraduate course in business management which is addressed at the reconversion of unemployed graduates under the Estagiar L+ Programme, at the Department of Economics and Business Management of the University of the Azores in Ponta Delgada.

According to the Regional Director, this postgraduate course in business management is an “unprecedented” measure at national level that aims “to reconvert graduates to areas with greater employability.”

Stressing the efforts undertaken by the Government in this areas, Rui Bettencourt also stated that the course “deeply connected  to the business sector,” revealing the Government’s intention of extending this initiative all unemployed graduates who wish to be integrated into the labour market through a qualifying strategy because “for certain companies, it is not enough to hold a degree. It is necessary to hold a degree in relevant areas.”

“Any graduate, even if one, needs to be followed up,” taking into account that “youngsters and their families have invested in training,” stated the Regional Director.

According to Rui Bettencourt, the postgraduate degree in business management, which started last month, was specifically designed to provide a response to several higher education degrees. Currently, the course is being attended by 16 youngsters with degrees in areas from Sociology to Civil Engineering.