Demography, Qualifications and Inclusion Thematic Programme
Programme description
This programme represents the biggest ESF+ investment in people in Portugal, supporting employment, education and training, social inclusion and measures addressing material deprivation – as well as capacity building for increased and better access to social and health services.
More and Better Employment Opportunities
The programme will help people to find jobs, including through measures facilitating transition from temporary to permanent jobs, mobility, self-employment and entrepreneurship. The main support will focus on traineeships and hiring incentives, promoting gender equality and non-discrimination. Workers and the unemployed will benefit from opportunities to learn new skills, including through, Individual Learning Accounts, which can help them prepare for the green and digital transitions.
Youth employment support
The implementation of the Reinforced Youth Guarantee will be increased, with more opportunities for disadvantaged young people, particularly those who are not in employment, education and training.
Inclusive Education and Training
The programme will enable both employed and unemployed people to participate in training. This includes vocational education and training (VET) courses, dual-certification traineeships and advanced training. The focus is on promoting lifelong learning for adults, where modular training and technological specialisation courses will be reinforced. Qualifica centres and specialised institutions providing the training and qualification of adults will receive dedicated investment.
Social Inclusion
The programme will support education, training and labour market integration measures for disadvantaged people, such as migrants, people who fled Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, persons with disabilities, vulnerable children and young people. It also includes capacity-building measures for social economy organisations and awareness campaigns combatting discrimination. The funding will also be used to promote equal and better access to quality services across sectors, including education and administrative capacity building.
The programme assigns strategic importance to professional traineeships, VET courses, Qualifica Centres, Qualifications and Employment of Persons with Disabilities and MAVI (personal assistance for persons with disabilities).
Expected impacts
Thanks to the employment support measures:
- Over 117 000 unemployed adults and nearly 100.000 young people will benefit from traineeships and hiring support measures, with more than 75% of them expected to still be employed 6 months after leaving the schemes
In the field of education, the programme will contribute to improve school success rate and reduce early school leaving:
- 366 000 individuals will be able to participate in vocational education and training, with the aim that up to two thirds of them find jobs or continue further training 6 months after the end of the support received by the programme
- 700.000 adults will be supported through the “Qualifica Centres” and more than 2.7 million participations in short training modules will be ensured, aiming for certification rates of 90% and above.
The social inclusion measures will help reduce the number of people at risk of poverty and material deprivation and child poverty by supporting:
- 500 000 inactive people, among those who are most deprived to get integrated on the labour market
- 736.000 pupils with learning difficulties
- More than 25.000 people with disabilities
- Over 13 000 non-EU nationals
- 75.000 participants will benefit from inclusive education and training
- More than 36 000 participants will be reintegrated into the labour market through socially useful work.
Financial information
Breakdown of finances by priority axis
| Priority Axis | EU Investment | National Public Contribution | Total Public Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESF+ | 5.691.329.428,00 | 991.104.652,00 | 6.682.434.080,00 |
| Total | 5.691.329.428,00 | 991.104.652,00 | 6.682.434.080,00 |
Priorities and Specific Objectives
Social Europe
Access to employment and activation measures for all
Equal access to quality social and healthcare services
Addressing material deprivation
Gender balanced labour market participation
Quality and inclusive education and training systems
Lifelong learning and career transitions
Active inclusion and employability