- 2023Approved/Agreed
- 2024Implementation
Background
The lack of qualified labour is a widespread problem, making it difficult for businesses to specialise, innovate and remain competitive. Meanwhile, unemployment leaves workers at risk of skills obsolescence. Addressing these issues requires strategies to upskill and reskill workers and attract new talent needed for industry to modernise and remain competitive. To this aim, this decade, the Portuguese government prioritised lifelong learning. Vocational training and qualifications are included in the strategic planning instruments for implementing diverse public policies, in line with the Recommendation of the Council of the European Union on VET and the Osnabrück Declaration.
To address the general lack of qualified workforce, the programme Qualifica Indústria was launched in 2023.This programme is part of a consistent strategy that promotes the dynamics of organisational and technological modernisation and the intensive introduction of digital economy tools, which are essential to the competitiveness of the country.
Objectives
The goals of this programme are:
- to improve workers' qualifications in the industrial sectors, which will help them in their professional development, reskilling, and employability;
- to prevent the risk of unemployment, promote job retention, and improve the productivity and competitiveness of companies and the economy;
- to modernise the industrial sector when companies experience decreased productive activity due to unforeseen market conditions.
Description
It consists of financial support for upskilling and reskilling training plans of workers of SME businesses in industries experiencing reduced orders or less turnover. A budget allocation of EUR 10 million covers salary costs and sector-specific training.
Employers can submit applications for training projects directly or through the appropriate associations representing employers and businesses at sectoral, regional, and national levels. To be eligible for financial support, the training plan must meet the following requirements:
- contribute to the effective improvement of workers' professional skills, particularly by increasing their level of qualification;
- be based on certified training integrated in the national qualifications catalogue, and may include extra-catalogue training up to 75% of the total hours;
- involve 200 hours of training per worker to be carried out during working hours and allow for integration into full days of training;
- cover at least two continuous weeks of training.
The IEFP is responsible for promoting the opening of tenders by sector through the publication of notices in light of extraordinary and transitional needs in the industry. The programme adopts an open application regime and applications are approved up to the limit of the budget allocation provided for in the notice. Training, always adapted to the company's needs, can be provided in person, as blended-learning or e-learning.
It consists of financial support for upskilling and reskilling training plans of workers of SME businesses in industries experiencing reduced orders or less turnover. A budget allocation of EUR 10 million covers salary costs and sector-specific training.
Employers can submit applications for training projects directly or through the appropriate associations representing employers and businesses at sectoral, regional, and national levels. To be eligible for financial support, the training plan must meet the following requirements:
- contribute to the effective improvement of workers' professional skills, particularly by increasing their level of qualification;
- be based on certified training integrated in the national qualifications catalogue, and may include extra-catalogue training up to 75% of the total hours;
- involve 200 hours of training per worker to be carried out during working hours and allow for integration into full days of training;
- cover at least two continuous weeks of training.
The IEFP is responsible for promoting the opening of tenders by sector through the publication of notices in light of extraordinary and transitional needs in the industry. The programme adopts an open application regime and applications are approved up to the limit of the budget allocation provided for in the notice. Training, always adapted to the company's needs, can be provided in person, as blended-learning or e-learning.
By Ordinance No 282/2023, of 14 September, the programme was approved and started implementation.
In 2023, 264 employees of the Textile and clothing industry were enrolled.
Until August, 662 employees from the Textile and clothing industry were enrolled in a total of 24 training courses.
Bodies responsible
- Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP)
Target groups
Learners
- Persons in employment, including those at risk of unemployment
Entities providing VET
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
Thematic categories
Governance of VET and lifelong learning
This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.
This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.
The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.
This thematic sub-category refers to the integration of VET into economic, industrial, innovation, social and employment strategies, including those linked to recovery, green and digital transitions, and where VET is seen as a driver for innovation and growth. It includes national, regional, sectoral strategic documents or initiatives that make VET an integral part of broader policies, or applying a mix of policies to address an issue VET is part of, e.g. in addressing youth unemployment measures through VET, social and active labour market policies that are implemented in combination. National skill strategies aiming at quality and inclusive lifelong learning also fall into this sub-category.
Supporting lifelong learning culture and increasing participation
Lifelong learning refers to all learning (formal, non-formal or informal) taking place at all stages in life and resulting in an improvement or update in knowledge, skills, competences and attitudes or in participation in society from a personal, civic, cultural, social or employment-related perspective (Erasmus+, Glossary of terms, https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/part-d/glossary-common-terms). A systemic approach to CVET is crucial to ensure adaptability to evolving demands.
This broad thematic category looks at ways of creating opportunities and ensuring access to re-skilling and upskilling pathways, allowing individuals to progress smoothly in their learning throughout their lives with better permeability between general and vocational education and training, and better integration and compatibility between initial and continuing VET and with higher education. Individuals should be supported in acquiring and updating their skills and competences and navigating easily through education and training systems. Strategies and campaigns that promote VET and LLL as an attractive and high-quality pathway, providing quality lifelong guidance and tailored support to design learning and career paths, and various incentives (financial and non-financial) to attract and support participation in VET and LLL fall into this thematic category as well.
This thematic category also includes many initiatives on making VET inclusive and ensuring equal education and training opportunities for various groups of learners, regardless of their personal and economic background and place of residence – especially those at risk of disadvantage or exclusion, such as persons with disabilities, the low-skilled and low-qualified, minorities, migrants, refugees and others.
This thematic sub-category refers to all kinds of incentives that encourage learners to take part in VET and lifelong learning; VET providers to improve, broaden and update their offer; companies to provide places for apprenticeship and work-based learning, and to stimulate and support learning of their employees. It also includes measures addressing specific challenges of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) willing to create work-based learning opportunities in different sectors. Incentives can be financial (e.g. grants, allowances, tax incentives, levy/grant mechanisms, vouchers, training credits, individual learning accounts) and non-financial (e.g. information/advice on funding opportunities, technical support, mentoring).
This thematic sub-category refers to providing the possibility for individuals who are already in the labour market/in employment to reskill and/or acquire higher levels of skills, and to ensuring targeted information resources on the benefits of CVET and lifelong learning. It also covers the availability of CVET programmes adaptable to labour market, sectoral or individual up- and reskilling needs. The sub-category includes working with respective stakeholders to develop digital learning solutions supporting access to CVET opportunities and awarding CVET credentials and certificates.
European priorities in VET
VET Recommendation
- VET agile in adapting to labour market challenges
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Qualifica Indústria programme: Portugal. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/46151