The young people that Portugal can gain

Viewing vocational education as a path to real opportunities cannot be just a goal; it is a necessity.

Every year, thousands of young Portuguese people finish the 9th grade without truly understanding the potential of vocational education. For many, this could be the right path – a path to fulfillment and a future, allowing them to enter the job market with technical skills valued by companies, without closing the door to pursuing higher education. But prejudice persists.

In Portugal, in the 2023/2024 school year, only about 37% of secondary school students chose vocational education (approximately 127,000 students), despite the fact that, according to the OECD, 88% of graduates from this educational pathway enter the job market. These numbers show what perception stubbornly hides: vocational education is a path to success and a future, not a shortcut.

Vocational education represents an opportunity for many young people who have a practical vocation, curiosity, and a desire to learn by doing, but who end up pursuing academic paths simply because they are unaware of the possibilities that technical education offers.

In Portuguese companies, we experience this reality every day. Producing, innovating, and creating value requires solid technical skills and knowledge built through practice, rigor, and dedication. It is this discreet but essential "know-how" that keeps the country running, production chains active, and the economy growing.

When we look at young people who choose an academic path not out of vocation, but because they believe that only bachelor's degrees are valued by companies, or who drop out of school because they don't identify with the proposed learning model, we realize that we are wasting practical intelligence, curiosity, and applicable talent. Precisely what the market needs most.

Therefore, within the framework of the Business Roundtable Portugal (BRP) Association, we decided to take action. Sovena leads the People Axis working group, which launched PRO'4U – Open Day Vocational Education: a national cycle of events that brings together students, schools and 15 BRP companies from north to south of the country, giving 9th grade students the opportunity to see the world of work up close, talk to professionals and discover the pride of learning by doing.

The first Open Day took place on October 28th at Lagar do Marmelo, in Ferreira do Alentejo, a symbolic location in the heart of the region, where tradition and innovation meet. More than a visit, it was an invitation: to look at vocational education with new eyes, with the respect and recognition it deserves.

Portugal's future is not built solely in universities; it is also built in workshops, laboratories, olive presses, factories, and vocational schools. Every young person who rediscovers meaning and vocation in this path is a victory for the country.

Vocational education can be the right path for many young people and the unseen engine of a Portugal that gets things done. Because, without those who know how to do things, nothing happens.