Secretaria-Geral do Ministério do Trabalho, Solidariedade e Segurança Social

The Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, Ana Mendes Godinho, said on Thursday that the "Valorizar Social" and "Qualifica Social" programmes - which aim to meet the training needs identified by the social sector - will cover about 7400 people already this year.

During the signing ceremony of the Cooperation and Qualification Agreement, the first of its kind, which took place this morning in Coimbra, Ana Mendes Godinho said that the program serves to value workers and leaders of the social sector, as well as to reconvert unemployed to this area.

"We are taking a giant step forward, because the commitment that we are signing here today follows a demand and concern signalled by the social sector partners, made either in the 2020 cooperation commitment or now in the new cooperation pact, where this qualification of human resources in the social sector is assumed as a total priority," he said.

The Minister stressed the importance of having a training offer tailored to the training needs of the social sector: Let us know how to make every worker in the social sector a worker who is valued and who feels that it is worthwhile and makes sense to work in this area. The workers move for it and the young people look for it: a meaningful life, and in the social sector this is what we have: A meaningful life at the service of others," he said.

Social economy accounts for more than 6% of employment in Portugal

Ana Mendes Godinho also recalled that the social economy accounts for more than 6% of employment in Portugal, which demonstrates "the importance it has from the point of view of job creation and territorial development".

"The more we can have people mobilized in this area, we will be responding more effectively to the great challenges of the country, the challenges of combating inequalities, promoting support mechanisms for families and children, responding to investment and, above all, valuing decent work as an essential element of valuing the human person," he said.

The Minister also highlighted "the fundamental work of the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training and Social Security in the concern and mobilization of resources to protect employment".

The ‘Valorizar Social’ cooperation and qualification agreement was concluded between the IEFP and partners in the social and solidarity sector: National Agency for Qualification and Vocational Education; Portuguese Cooperative Confederation, National Confederation of Solidarity Institutions, Union of Portuguese Mercies and Union of Portuguese Mutual Societies.

It aims to increase the management and digitalisation skills of institutions for leaders and workers of social institutions, as well as unemployed people who may come to work in the social sector.

Source: Government Portal