The team representing the Azores at the 43rd National Skills Championship - Skills Portugal, held in Beja, won eight medals, three gold medals and five silver medal medals in 40 professions in competition. It was able to maintain the level of results already achieved by Azorean vocational training in national and international competition.
 
Ana Filipa Carolas Coelho (Praia da Vitória Vocational Training School) won the gold medal in Culinary, Paulo Alexandre Lourenço Ferreira (ENTA - School of New Technologies) was the winner in Computer Network Management and Fernando Cabral Cruz Nunes (ENTA - School of New Technologies) won a gold medal in Business Application Development.
 
The silver medals were awarded to Hugo Miguel Pacheco Leandro (EPROSEC School) in Accounting, Emanuel Viveiros Corrêa (Capelas Vocational Training School) in Electricity and André Araújo Arruda (Capelas Vocational Training School) in Electronics.
 
Moreover, José Pedro Ferreira Franco (ENTA - School of New Technologies) won the silver medal in Computer Network Management and Leandro Manuel Machado Correia (Praia da Vitória Vocational Training School) won 2nd place in Table Waiting and Bar.
 
The Azoreans who won the gold medals in this competition, involving the participation of more than 350 competitors, 300 jurors, technicians and teachers, will participate in the European Championship (EuroSkills) and World Championship (WorldSkills).                   
 
The Skills Championships are competitions aimed at young people aged between 17 and 25 years. They intend to demonstrate the individual level of skills, rigour and mastery of techniques and tools that are necessary to practice each profession in competition.
 
In this context, participants perform practical tests that are assessed according to rigours criteria. The latter are stipulated based on technical precepts established by jury panels composed of highly qualified experts, including teachers, professionals and entrepreneurs.