The Vice-President of the Government announced today that the training offer of "Reativar" programme, which starts this month in partnership with vocational training schools, will cover 700 Azoreans and represents an investment of 7.8 million Euros. This amount is a clear indicator of promotion of employability, while responding to the increase in labour market offers.
 
"This initiative aims to create a new opportunity to all those who left school without qualifications or specific qualifications with levels of competitiveness suited to the needs of the labour market," said Sérgio Ávila.
 
The Vice-President marked the beginning of "Reativar" courses at Praia da Vitória Vocational Training School. On the occasion, he expressed his recognition for the "courage" and attitude of the 80 trainees who are now starting this "new stage," stressing that "the Azores have registered an increase in job offers in recent years."
 
"According to recently released data, the unemployment rate is nowadays is half of that registered three years ago." The government official added that there are currently "12,190 more employed Azoreans than three years ago and that the employed population in the Azores is the highest of the last eight years.”
 
In order to continue this path, Sérgio Ávila said it is necessary "to undertake this additional effort, this huge investment of 7.8 million Euros" so that new graduates "may be also integrated into the labour market successfully, like these 12,190 Azoreans."
 
"What we are going to do is provide these Azoreans with skills that will improve their success in terms of employability and response capacity to the increase of job offers in the Region," the government official said, recalling recent employment data released by the National Statistics Institute.
 
"Despite the reduction of unemployment to half, the increase of 12,190 Azoreans employed and the highest number of employed population of the last eight years, trade unions, chambers of commerce and opposition parties are silent,” stressed Sérgio Ávila, who spoke on the sidelines of the ceremony.
 
Moreover, the Vice-President pointed out that the "Reativar" program "also allows training to be directed at the areas that currently register higher demand in the labour market," including kitchen/pastry or areas linked to civil construction such as carpentry.
 
The "Reativar" courses comprise two components. It awards professional qualifications, as trainees will be qualified to carry out a certified professional activity, while conferring double certification. In this context, it provides academic qualifications to trainees with the awarding of a basic education (9th form) or secondary education (12th form) certificate as well as professional certification.