2024

2023

The Qualifica Centres overseen by public basic and upper secondary education school clusters (SC) or non-clustered schools (NCS) represent approximately 37 % of the entire national network, which has over 300 centres. As such, they play a key role in the Qualifica Programme and the strategy to mobilise the adult population for lifelong learning.

These Centres should benefit from the schools' educational assets and resources, as well as the synergies created with local communities. Here, it is important that rules are defined for allocating human resources to those Qualifica Centres overseen by the abovementioned SC/NCS, thus facilitating the tasks entrusted to them in the areas of information and guidance, referral, training, recognition and validation of competences and certification.

To this end, Despatch No 8271/2023, 14 August was published. This determines the rules allocating weekly hours for teachers working in public schools that oversee or are partners of Qualifica Centres. The legislation also establishes the rules allocating the number of guidance and competence validation professionals (GCVP) to the Centres.

As part of making the National Qualifications System (SNQ) more flexible, the first nine level-5 vocational RVCC reference frameworks have been included in the National Qualifications Catalogue (CNQ).

As such, adults with unrecognised and uncertified professional experience can remedy their situation. The level-5 reference frameworks were designed together with a number of IEFP protocol vocational training centres and a higher education body.

Being able to obtain a level-5 qualification through RVCC makes this process more flexible and complementary in terms of other NQS education and training types, as well as improving people's qualifications in Portugal.

For more information, see the ANQEP, I.P. website.

Creating short and medium-length courses in the digital area has had a very positive impact on young people and adults seeking to improve their skills. Courses on programming, digital marketing, data analysis and no-code visual programming, created in 2021 as part of the "Young + digital" programme, have over 15,000 enrolments and 11,000 certificates.

Also in the digital field, but more geared towards adults with low digital literacy, the pathways created via the "Digital Skills Certificate" programme are attracting many adults. Since their creation in 2021, over 24,000 people have enrolled on these courses, and more than 17,000 have been certified.

ANQEP’s training provision not only helps meet the growing demand for professionals with digital skills from the business community, but also gives workers the opportunity to acquire new skills.

ANQEP recently included four new short and medium-length courses in the National Qualifications Catalogue, responding to specific skills in the area of environment and energy (new green skills). These pathways consist of a set of short training units lasting a maximum of 375 hours:

- Green hydrogen – fundamentals and technologies (300 hours)

- Renewable energies – solar thermal (325 hours)

- Renewable energies – solar photovoltaic (375 hours)

- Renewable energies – wind (375 hours)

The green hydrogen fundamentals and technologies training pathway was developed in partnership with ADENE – Agência para a Energia  (Energy Agency), the Direção-Geral de Energia e Geologia  (Directorate-General for Energy and Geology) and the Instituto de Emprego e Formação Profissional, I.P. (Institute for Employment and Vocational Training).

Contributions were also made by the Conselho Setorial da Energia (Sector Council for Energy), namely the Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente - APA (Portuguese Environment Agency) and the Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade - ISQ.

These four courses can be completed through certified modular training, enabling autonomous certification.

A 275-hour short and medium duration course on "Internationalisation - fundamentals" was designed as part of the "Qualification for Internationalisation" Programme.

The adult education and training key competences reference framework - basic level was updated primarily to improve adult competences, particularly those considered necessary to obtain basic-level school qualifications, attempting to satisfy multiple demands regarding citizenship, work and lifelong learning (LLL).

This reference framework includes:

• a new key competences area in digital skills, whose certification confers a level of proficiency according to the Dynamic Digital Competence Reference Framework
• communicating in other languages, in addition to Portuguese, in the area of culture, language and communication
• introducing scientific literacy with mathematics, sciences and technology and
• updating citizenship and employability (EC) to meet the new challenges of Portuguese, European and global society.

This reference framework highlights some of the soft skills most valued in the labour market through the creation of an area specifically dedicated to personal, social and learning skills. However, this is not compulsory for obtaining school certification.

As part of the «Valorizar Social» Programme, five short and medium duration courses were designed to respond to new demands in the areas of management and finance, leadership and innovation, consisting of a set of short-term training units lasting 25 and/or 50 hours, with a maximum duration of 350 hours.

Ordinance No 184/2022 21 July broadens the eligibility criteria for these courses to include citizens aged 16 years old or over, as well as citizens applying for international or temporary protection, and citizens holding a short-term visa for seasonal work, temporary stay or residence, thus focussing on the training and integration of migrants in the labour market and in Portuguese society.

To improve qualification policy for the population, particularly adults with few qualifications, it was necessary to bolster the Qualifica Centres’ role as a gateway to provision for adults. To this end, Ordinance No. 62/2022 was published on 31 January, which gives Qualifica Centres greater autonomy and accountability, emphasising a proximity with the public that is based on territorial or sectoral partnership. The same Ordinance creates the assessment and certification commissions, which are key to better conclusion rates for incomplete qualification pathways in the adult population.

For the first time, Ordinance No 61/2022, 31 January makes the recognition, validation and certification of competences processes independent of the bodies that implement them. It is possible to obtain a level 5 NQF through a RVCC process, as well as give a financial incentive to adults who obtain a school or vocational certification through the Qualifica Accelerator.

The level 5 NQF qualification can now also be obtained through certified modular training (Ordinance No 66/2022, 1 February) and the Aprendizagem+ Courses (Ordinance No 70/2022, 2 February). This same Ordinance also extends the age limit for apprenticeship courses to 29 years old.

Ordinance No 86/2022, 4 February enables access to several types of basic level adult education and training courses according to the level of schooling they have completed, thus shortening the qualification pathway.