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 Human Capital Operational Programme (HCOP) (Programa Operacional do Capital Humano- PO CH), which is part of the Portugal 2020 strategy and the Programme Pessoas 2030, which is part of Portugal 2030.
The Demography, Qualification and Inclusion Programme accepts applications from bodies associated with adult education and training, as shown in the following table:
| What provision is planned? | Who can apply? | For who? |
| Qualifica Centres | Promoters of Qualifica Centres | Poorly-skilled adults (without having completed basic or upper secondary education, i.e. without ISCED 2 or 3, incomplete educational or professional school or professional, and/or without a professional qualification). |
| 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 | Public, private or co-operative educational establishments and vocational schools; directly managed centres and centres with a stake in the network of centres of the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP, I. P.); training bodies certified by the Directorate-General for Employment and Labour Relations (DGERT); other entities which, due to their legal nature and scope of activity, do not require certification as a training entity, as they include the development of training activities in the legislation creating or operating authorisation | Adults who have not completed basic or upper secondary education who wish to obtain a school certificate corresponding to the 1st cycle of basic education or a qualification at level 1, 2, 3 or 4 of the or 4 of the NQF integrated into the CNQ. |
| Recurrent education courses | Public vocational schools and bodies that own private vocational schools, public educational establishments, bodies that own private and cooperative education institutions | Students who have not completed upper-secondary education |
| Certified modular training | Public or private primary and secondary schools, vocational training centres directly managed by the IEFP, I.P. and other entities, such as local authorities, companies or business associations, trade unions and local, regional or national associations, as long as they are part of the SNQ network of training bodies. | 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. |
The Pessoas 2030 Programme is funded by the European Social Fund (85 %), with the remaining 15 % paid out by public funds that are part of the state budget. Applications must be made through the Balcão dos Fundos online platform.
Expenditure eligible for support under the Pessoas 2030, according to Ordinance No. 325/2023, 30 October, in its current wording, includes:
- expenditure on trainees, the cost of scholarships, food, transport and accommodation, as well as other expenditure on trainees, such as insurance and and childcare costs for dependants, as well as remuneration costs for staff undergoing training.
- expenditure on trainers arising from remuneration and other expenses necessary.
- expenditure on other associated staff, including expenses with remuneration for management, technicians, administrative staff, socio-cultural mediators and personal and social mediators, and other staff involved in operational design, preparation, development, management, monitoring and assessment.
- rents, leases and amortisations, including expenses related to the lease or amortisation of equipment related to operations, and spending on rent or amortisation of premises where training takes place, as well as the lease or amortization of vehicles used to transport trainees and other participants.
- direct costs associated with the preparation, development, monitoring and assessment of operations including expenses with the preparation of needs analyses; dissemination of operations; selection of trainees and other participants; the purchase, preparation and reproduction of teaching materials; acquisition of books and documentation; spending on teaching materials; travel expenses incurred by the group within the scope of the respective action, expenses associated with the use of training support platforms and the acquisition of specialised technical services related to the evaluation of projects and their overall results.
- general project costs, which include other expenses necessary for the design, development and management of operations, such as running costs on energy, water, communications, consumables and non-durable goods, overheads for maintenance of equipment and premises, expenses related to legal advice, notary fees, as well as technical and financial expertise.
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 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, trainees receive a training grant or other forms of socio-educational assistance from the MECI or the MTSSS. The central and regional departments of each ministry are responsible for stipulating the number and value of the grants to be awarded to each training area, as well as for monitoring the academic progress of trainees.
With the publication of Ordinance No. 61/2022, 31 January, in its current wording, it is now possible, via a recognition, validation and certification of competences (RVCC) process to attribute a financial incentive (Qualifica Accelerator) to adults who complete a qualification considered eligible: 3rd cycle and upper secondary level or level 2 or level 4 of the NQF and provided that they meet the other eligibility conditions as set out in Technical Guideline No. 01/C06-I03.02/2022.
The Qualifica Accelerator is part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan and aims to encourage adults to return to lifelong learning processes that contribute to obtaining an educational or professional qualification.
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 2025, the aim is to achieve 100 000 adult certifications, with a total investment of 55 M€.
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, 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, these partially managed vocational training centres can receive IEFP funds of up to 95% of their current expenses and 100 % of their capital expenses.
These centres are a result of protocols between IEFP 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.