The Vice-President of the Government announced on Terceira Island that 960 young Azoreans who have completed their training began today the Estagiar L and Estagiar T programmes, representing a Government's investment of about 10.5 million Euros.
 
Sérgio Ávila spoke on the sidelines of a visit to the "Casa do Povo" of Santa Bárbara (Community Centre), which welcome three new trainees, thus contributing to their integration into the labour market.
 
“With the start of this phase, there are now 2131 young people currently taking traineeships under this programme. Since its implementation in 1998 until 2019, the Estagiar programme has already covered 19,350 young people,” said the Vice-President.
 
“This exemplary programme, a major success in the Region, and the investment it represents demonstrate the importance we attach to supporting and promoting youth employment,” added the government official.
 
The Estagiar programme provides young people with an opportunity to carry out duties appropriate to their qualifications in a real work context, enabling them to gain professional experience and new skills that will enhance their integration into the labour market.
 
The Vice-President also highlighted the Professional Integration Programme of Estagiar Trainees (PIIE). This initiative is aimed at the recruitment of young people who have completed traineeships by companies and entities under employment contracts for a minimum period of one year, thus reinforcing their integration into the labour market.
 
“This programme has been hugely successful, given that 80 percent of young people were recruited after completing the traineeship, which is a significant contribution to increasing youth employment,” said Sérgio Ávila.
 
The employability rate of the Estagiar programme, six months after the end of the traineeship, stands, on average, at 57.2%. According to Vice-President, “this measure is a secure investment for the Regional Government not only for what it represents in terms of integrating young people into the labour market, but also in terms of increasing youth employability."