Portugal: tourism training for starting a new life

Public, private and social sector cooperation

The integration and training programme for migrants and refugees in the tourism sector is one of the 60 measures included in Portugal’s Accelerating the economy programme (Programa Acelerar a Economia), aiming to promote their labour market integration and social and professional inclusion. 

The ‘Integrating for tourism’ (Integrar para o Turismo) scheme is the result of a collaboration between Turismo de Portugal, the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), and the Confederation of Tourism of Portugal (CTP). Business associations within the sector are active partners in this scheme. They work to promote the initiative to their members and companies in related subsectors.

Objectives

The scheme’s main objective is to provide qualification and employment opportunities to migrants and beneficiaries of international protection through vocational training and practical internships in tourism sector companies, specifically:

• to improve the conditions of integration in Portugal of migrants and beneficiaries of international protection;
• to ensure the development of professional skills that enable migrants to work in companies in the tourism field;
• to develop the social responsibility of tourism companies and the multiculturalism of their professionals, reinforcing the sector's contribution to building a fairer and more inclusive society.
  
  

The target is to train 1 000 migrants and beneficiaries of international protection in 2025, with an investment of EUR 2.5 million. Participants must be at least 18 years old, resident in Portugal with a regularised immigration status, and have some ability to express themselves in Portuguese or English.

Qualification: the key for improving the integration of foreign citizens 

The training programme comprises two main components: technical training, which includes Portuguese language and culture instruction, and an internship, totalling 520 hours.

The network of hospitality and tourism schools offers participants the essential skills required to enter the professional tourism sector. The programme lasts 360 hours, approximately three months, and is highly technical, focusing on hands-on learning methods. It covers both technical and operational areas, as well as sociocultural aspects and soft skills.

The integrated internship is carried out in companies in the tourism sector, with a duration of 160 hours and a reference period of one month. These companies are eager to have qualified workers. By offering these internships, they ensure a supply of workers who can meet their labour needs and help alleviate labour shortages.
Participants are entitled to a training grant, an internship grant, a food or meal allowance, a transportation allowance, school insurance, and support for uniforms. Upon completing the course, participants will receive a certificate of professional training.

The scheme includes training for tutors and mentors to support trainees’ professional and personal growth during internships, improving their chances of successful integration in the company.

The initial training courses started in February, with company internships set to begin in June. Depending on the outcomes of this first run, future iterations may be organised in the following years.

Read more

• Regulation (Regulamento) No 1469-A/2024, of 20 December
• Training and integration programme for migrants and beneficiaries of international protection in the tourism sector
• Accelerate the economy programme (Programa acelerar a economia)