Address
Unidade Portuguesa da Rede Eurydice (UPRE)
Ministério da Educação, Ciência e Inovação
Direcção-Geral de Estatísticas da Educação e Ciência - DGEEC
Av. 24 de Julho, n.º 134
PT-1399-054 Lisboa
Tel: +351 213 949 200
E-Mail: eurydice@dgeec.medu.pt
Website:
https://www.dgeec.medu.pt/l/nnXJ1
Main funding principles
Adult education and training provided by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) and the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security (MTSSS) are funded by both the state budget and the Demography, Qualification and Inclusion Programme (Programa Demografia, Qualificação e Inclusão - Pessoas 2030).
The Demography, Qualification and Inclusion Programme accepts applications, which must be carried out via the ‘Balcão dos Fundos’ online platform, by public and private bodies involved in adult education and training, as set out in the table below.
| What provision is planned? | Who can apply? | For who? |
| Qualifica Centres | Promoters of Qualifica centres, which are part of schools overseen by the MECI or of training organisations overseen by the MTSSS | Adults, including those in employment who require further training and retraining; in exceptional cases, young people classified as NEET may also be admitted, particularly those who have not completed their educational or training qualifications. |
| Apprenticeship course | Employment and Vocational Training Institute (IEFP, I.P.) | Young people up to the age of 29, who have completed the 9th year of schooling or higher, or a legally equivalent qualification, under the terms of Article 3 of Ordinance No. 70/2022, 2 February. |
| Apprenticeship + course | Employment and Vocational Training Institute (IEFP, I.P.) | Young people who have completed an upper secondary education qualification or legally equivalent, aged between18 and 29 years old, under the according to the terms of Article 3 of Ordinance No. 70/2022, 2 February. |
| Adult Education and Training Courses (EFA) | Public, private or cooperative bodies, including educational establishments, vocational training centres, local authorities, companies or other entities authorised to operate under the terms of Articles 4 and 5, respectively, of Ministerial Order No 86/2022, 4 February, in the form of individual training programmes and Integrated Training Applications (CIF). | Adults aged 18 or over at the start of the training, who do not possess the appropriate qualifications for social integration and, as a priority, who have not completed primary or secondary education. Also eligible are persons who meet the conditions set out in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of Article 3 of Ministerial Order No. 70/2022, 2 February. |
| Certified modular training | a) Legal persons governed by public law within the central government; b) Centres under direct management and centres under shared management within the network of Centres of the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training, I. P. (IEFP, I. P.); c) Legal persons governed by private law, whether profit-making or not. | Adults aged 18 or over, without the appropriate qualification for the purposes of progression in the labour market and, without having completed basic or secondary education. |
| Voz Ativa (Active Voice) | Vocational training centres directly managed or jointly managed by the IEFP, I.P., acting as beneficiaries before the Managing Authority. | Unemployed people registered with the IEFP, I.P., who meet the conditions set out in the national regulations applicable to this public policy measure. |
For more information on the Pessoas 2030 Programme, please check chapter 1.2 Lifelong learning strategy.
Fees paid by learners
There are no training programmes that require adult students/trainees to pay fees.
Financial support for adult learners
In relation to adult education and training provision, training or vocational grants or other social benefits can be given to trainees, particularly the unemployed, those at risk of social exclusion, those at risk of becoming unemployed or those with disabilities, in accordance with the law in force.
On adult education and training courses (EFA) from the MECI or the MTSSS, trainees receive a training grant or other forms of socio-educational assistance. The central and regional departments of each ministry are responsible for stipulating the maximum grants, as well as for monitoring the academic progress of trainees.
With a view to encouraging adults to participate in processes for the recognition, validation and certification of skills (RVCC processes), the Qualifica Accelerator was established in 2022 as part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). This measure, published in Ordinance No. 61/2022 of 31 January, in its current wording, allows for the award of a financial incentive to adults who, through a RVCC process, complete a basic (3rd cycle) or secondary school qualification, or a dual certification at level 2 or level 4 of the National Qualification Framewor provided they meet the other eligibility conditions as set out in Technical Guidance No. 01/C06-I03.02/2022.
The amount given to each adult corresponds to 1.25 of the Social Support Index, a figure that will be updated annually during the period the measure is in force. By 2026, the aim is to achieve 100 000 adult certifications, with a total investment of €55M.
Subsidies for private providers
According to Ordinance No. 86/2022, 4 February, rectified by Declaration of Rectification No. 9/2022, 14 March, and Ordinance No. 66/2022, 1 February, as amended by Ordinance No. 333/2023, 3 November, “adult education and training courses and modular training are organised by public, private or cooperative entities, such as education institutions, vocational training centres, municipalities, enterprises or business associations, trade unions and local, regional and national associations […] provided they are part of the training entities network within the national qualifications system.”
In addition to this, they can benefit from special access to non-refundable grants and subsidised credit for the acquisition, construction and equipping of private or cooperative education establishments and others specifically created for vocational education and training.
Apart from training centres directly managed by IEFP, I.P., there are also private education institutions that teach adult education and training courses, but they belong to a network that is validated and certified by the state, and unded by the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional – IEFP, I.P). According to Decree-Law No. 165/85, 16 May, in its current wording, these partially managed vocational training centres can receive IEFP, I.P. funds of up to 95% of their current expenses and 100 % of their capital expenses.
These centres are a result of protocols between IEFP, I.P. and one or more associations and entities that represent employers and social associations of several economic activity sectors. The idea was to involve both the employers and other social partners in the training and qualification of human resources, of which they would benefit the most. In addition to this, employers and professional/workers associations can more easily express their specific needs in terms of human resources and professional skills and certifications, as well as sharing expected future developments and assessing the quality of the training given.
Private education institutions can also have their courses certified without receiving any type of public funding. In this case, the funding will be achieved through student fees. These institutions can apply for European funding, which means that students fees vary according to the level of support provided.