The Vice-President of the Government revealed at the Legislative Assembly in Horta that the Government will invest 12 million Euros in "Recuperar" programme.

Sérgio Ávila added that the decision was taken as a result of the good results showed by the support programme to the professional integration of unemployed without benefits, who have been enrolled at the Agencies for Qualification and Employment for over four months.

The government official spoke at the Parliament during the debate on a draft legislative decree submitted by PSD concerning the creation of additional measures to unemployment benefits.

The Vice-President of Government praised "the spirit underlying" the presentation of the project, however he drew attention to the fact that a programme that "matches exactly" this proposed measure has entered into force since last February.

For Sérgio Ávila, "there is a consensus between the Government of the Azores and PSD on this matter" regarding the implementation of measures intended "to solve the problem of the unemployed who are no longer receiving benefits and have no source of income; they make up 80 percent of the unemployed registered at employment centres."

"I can say at this time that a total of 755 Azoreans are already benefiting from this measure, the government official revealed, adding that, despite the good results, the measure "is not perfect." For that reason, we will introduce some adjustments soon.

With these amendments, the "Recuperar" programme will no longer be an occupational programme; it will now become "a contract that safeguards the rights of the people covered by this initiative, including mandatory Social Security contributions. It is intended that the work rendered by these workers be considered as actual working time for purposes of social benefits and service length calculation."

On the other hand, Sérgio Ávila pointed out the "considerable multiplier effect" of such programmes, "if funded and supported under the European Social Fund policies," which will benefit more people with the same investment."

Given the importance and the success of "Recuperar" programme, the Vice-President revealed that the Government of the Azores intends to "make an investment of 12 million Euros in the implementation of this programme in order to enhance its capacity in improving the employability of Azorean citizens and supporting Private Social Solidarity Institutions, sports, recreational and cultural associations, and the local administration. These entities can benefit from this programme, which, in turn, will be able to cover more beneficiaries and boost its success."
 
During the debate, Sérgio Ávila mentioned that the Regional Government will continue to require the professional integration of beneficiaries in a work context as a counterpart for the allocation of financial support, thus "ensuring a supplementary support to unemployment benefits and the professional integration of the unemployed."

For the Vice President, "this is the correct solution; it may also bring prospects in terms of additional training and improvement of professional qualification."

In this regard, Sérgio Ávila stressed that the academic qualifications of 70 percent of the unemployed registered at employment centres is below the 9th form; this being a "structural problem associated with unemployment," for which the Government has implemented programmes such as the Acquisition of Basic Skills (ABC) and "Reativar."

These initiatives have been implemented with the purpose of "improving the academic qualification of Azorean citizens in order to enhance their employability," said Sérgio Ávila.