The Regional Government signed a partnership agreement with the University of the Azores for the implementation of the "Requalificar" programme, one of the 60 measures provided in the Azorean Agenda for Employment Creation and Business Competitiveness.

Under this agreement, the Azorean University will develop master's degrees in the areas with higher employability within its educational offer. In turn, the Government will be responsible for referring unemployed graduates to the "Requalificar" programme and ensure the full payment of tuition fees.

The Vice-President of the Government, Sérgio Ávila, stressed that "the main goal of this programme is to enhance the employability of Azorean graduates in areas that are not sough-after in the labour market due to several reasons."

"With this retraining programme, to be conducted by an institution of recognised merit such as the University of the Azores, we intend to provide unemployed graduates with new skills and better qualifications, which will increase their chances of finding a job in the future.

"Moreover, this partnership agreement also embodies another significant support to our University, not only for the development its activities, but also for the investment in areas that can effectively contribute to the promotion of skilled employment," added the government official.

Sérgio Ávila also considered that "this type of partnerships and other forms of cooperation that might be found are fundamental to the mitigation of the consequences brought by the adverse situation the country is currently facing."

The partnership agreement signed between the Regional Government and the University of the Azores will enter into effect immediately. Unemployed graduates will have the possibility of enrolling in master's degrees in the following areas: Biotechnology and Biological Control, Biomedical Sciences, Economics and Business Management, International Tourism Management, São Miguel campus; Agronomist Engineering, Animal Production Engineering and Food Technology and Safety, Terceira campus; Ocean Integrated Studies, Faial campus.

Under this initiative, the University will also provide postgraduate courses Business Management, Food Safety and Public Health on São Miguel campus.