The Regional Secretary for Education and Culture defended today in Angra do Heroísmo that Portugal's success "depends on the investment" in the "education of youth."
 
Avelino Meneses spoke at the National Conference "Dream Teens: the 'voice' of youth in the Azores." He pointed out that in order to achieve professional success, "reading, writing and counting was enough decades ago," adding that nowadays a degree "helps a lot but it may not be enough, though."
 
"Today, all defend a continuous training for specialised training, which enables individuals to meet the new challenges of the knowledge society," said the government official.
 
The Regional Secretary for Education and Culture mentioned that the challenges of today are, among others, "the change of activity sector and the adaptation to new functions," adding that schools are the "tools" for achieving these goals.
 
In his speech, Avelino Meneses stressed, however, that a "medium or higher education course is not a life solution, but a tool for building a career."
 
Likewise, he stressed that a school or university "is not a job centre, but a training centre" and training "is certainly the best means of defence of young citizens in the society of the future."
 
In these circumstances, Avelino Meneses urged young people to believe that "it is worth studying," noting the fact that "qualified unemployment is the highest" is not true," but it is true that "qualified jobs are the best paid."
 
The Regional Secretary for Education and Culture also highlighted the effort and commitment that the Government of the Azores has developed, particularly through the promotion of the programme for academic success, ProSucesso-Azores for Education.
 
This plan, whose implementation started in the school year 2015/2016, is "one of the most important challenges for the future of our islands," said Avelino Meneses.
 
The 1st National Conference "Dream Teens: the 'voice' of youth in the Azores," runs throughout the day at Angra do Heroísmo Cultural and Congress Centre. This initiative aims to encourage the active participation of young people in research projects.